Fate Stay Night: Ring of Fire
by Snarky Miracles
Summary: After living the life he has always dreamed of leading, Shirou Emiya is now a widower and single father. He struggles to raise his adopted daughter and help her learn to master her own unique abilities. Kotori Emiya secretly dreams of becoming a hero like her father but will have to face her own challenges on the path.
1. Chapter 1

**Fate/stay Night  
** " **Ring of Fire"  
** By Snarky Miracles

 _I saw hell._

 _I saw hell._

 _I saw hell._

 _Everywhere I looked. I saw hell._

 _It was just like before. Everything was burning._

 _Everyone was dead or dying, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. The searing heat was melting my hair. My eyebrows were mostly gone, my clothes were ruined._

 _But I still kept going._

 _There had to be someone alive somewhere in this hell._

 _If I could survive something like this, there had to at least one person here who could as well._

 _My eyes were watering from the heat, my eyes burned with the tears, sweat, and smoke but I still pressed on. If I could at least save one person, just one person…_

 _But there was no one._

 _There was nothing here but death._

 _I could hear my wife's voice screaming for me._

 _Screaming to get away before something bad happened to me too._

 _But I couldn't give up._

 _That just wasn't in me._

 _No matter how much it hurt, no matter how afraid I was, or how hot it was, I kept searching._

 _But there was still nothing._

 _Nobody was alive here._

 _There was nothing here but death._

 _I felt as if I'd failed in the most important moment of my life._

 _There was suppose to be someone here._

 _Someone who needed me to save them._

 _But I couldn't find this person._

 _No matter how long or how hard I searched._

 _Fear started to take over._

 _Suddenly there was a loud noise filling my ears._

 _There was a shooting pain in my ribs._

 _I couldn't make out the sound through the haze which had become my mind._

 _All I could feel was the pain._

 _All I could hear was the noise..._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

His eyes shot open as he quickly sat up in bed with a loud gasp for air. For the longest moment he couldn't know if he was awake or still dreaming. If the dream was real or just a twisted version of reality. This was how it always was when Shirou Emiya dreamed of his most traumatic events.

As the haze cleared from his mind he looked to his bedside to see a young girl with long pinkish-red hair, many shades brighter than his own coppery red hair, and same colored eyes. She was staring at him with a worried expression all over her face. The sight of her caused him to feel a sudden wave of relief as he pulled her into a warm embrace.

"You need to stop doing that every morning..." he said to her with a voice laced with subsiding concern.

"I don't do it every morning. Just the mornings where you're having nightmares! And it's not like I can jump on your belly anymore!" the little girl protested.

"I always have nightmares, Kotori-chan. You know this," Shirou said matter of factly.

"Then it's my job to scare them out of you until they don't dare come back! Because I'm just awesome like that!" Kotori said enthusiastically.

"Could you at least try it without stabbing me or screaming in my ears? One of these days I'm going to wake up deaf."

"Well… I could always get a bucket and some ice?"

Shirou pulled the covers off and moved to sit on the bedside after letting her out of his arms where he looked over at the clock on his nightstand. ' _Too early'_ he thought to himself when he saw the time. As a young man this was his usual wake up time but as the years went on he started to appreciate every extra minute of sleep he could squeeze in.

Before long his eyes drifted from the offending timepiece to the portrait behind it. A photograph of a woman with long black hair and blue eyes smiling happily. The sight of it visibly saddened him.

Noticing his pained expression the young red haired girl moved to seat herself beside him on the bed by jumping into the mattress so she would land in a seated position beside him where she gave him a warm hug from the side. "I miss her too…"

"After all we'd been through together, to lose her in an earthquake…" he said while staring into the eyes of the picture of Rin Tohsaka.

"If it's worth anything… Spacequakes aren't anything like Earthquakes."

"It isn't," groaned Shirou while standing up out of bed and stretching out. "I'll get cleaned up and then I'll get breakfast started. When I'm done I want you to be done with all your morning chores. No slacking," he said to her firmly.

"You got it!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm and rushed out of the room.

* * *

After he cleaned up and got dressed he wandered into the kitchen with a distant look on his face and got breakfast started. He didn't even bother to spare a glance at the woman seated at his dining table reading a newspaper. Except to note the front page news story which talked about recent spacequakes in their area which just set his mind into further turmoil.

"What's with you this morning?" the older woman asked him with sincere curiosity.

"I just had an epiphany. I was seeing you sitting there, and now I finally understand that old saying 'the more things change the more they stay the same' know what I mean?"

"Are you going to make breakfast or are you going to retreat to a temple somewhere to contemplate this new found wisdom?" she sarcastically questioned.

He put up his hands in mock surrender and then quickly put on an apron. "Coming right up."

"I helped myself to the coffee, but my cup will soon have a bad case of the empties," she said while holding up her coffee mug.

"So will my bank account if this keeps up..." he bitterly snarked at her.

The old Emiya residence hadn't changed much over the years. It was an old samurai compound. A traditional home in every way. But since his wife decided to sell off her own home after choosing to live together in his home instead of her western style house there were a few changes made to it.

Changes which now only served as grim reminders of what was now lost.

Rin had disliked sleeping on futons, so the first change was a western style bed in the room he had shared with her. But beyond the bedroom there were still hints of her everywhere he looked.

The first thing he'd notice every morning was her favorite tea cup still sitting unused in the cabinet next to his own and Kotori's. No amount of time and healing could lessen the pain which stung at his heart to have to pull down only the two cups from there. Time only taught him how to better conceal the pain. But it hurt as much this morning as it did every other since her passing.

All around the house the changes were only small, but hurt no less than the tea cup. Photos, nick-nacks, trophies, and other trinkets from their travels and adventures. The first example he was drawn to was the large photograph of the two of them with a group of children in Afghanistan. The second held his attention while he was waiting for the kettle to boil and brought a bitter smile to his face as he recalled the moment.

"What's going through that head of yours right now?" the woman asked with curiosity.

"Nothing much Fuji-nee. Just remembering the good times…" The man answered with a pseudo cheery voice while looking at a photo of himself and Rin taken while they were in Iraq. Though this one wasn't one of their many good deeds in yet another war zone. No. This one was of the two of them sitting in the ruins of what once was the throne room of a certain King of Heroes. Shirou sitting in what was probably his seat doing his best Gilgamesh impersonation, and Rin sitting in his lap with her 'I win' smile.

Shirou had a name and number for every one of her expressions and postures. Her body language was always transparent to him and it infuriated her to no end when she learned of how he assigned a designation to all of her mannerisms.

The photo had been taken during a detour they had on the way to somewhere else. He couldn't even remember where that somewhere even was now. It was just a happy reminder that no matter where they were, or how bad things were, the two of them always found time to enjoy themselves and remember why it was they did what they did. How they had grown to share in each other's dreams and passions.

"You know. I always thought that Sakura would have been the one you would have eventually married…" she said to which he felt another sting in his heart from yet another painful memory but managed to keep his face straight all the same. "But Rin was without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to you. You traveled the world, did a lot of good humanitarian work, adopted a wonderfully beautiful daughter and finally became a man Kiritsugu would be proud of… And I'm proud of you too. So if it helps, just remember how hard Rin would kick your ass if she saw you moping around over her."

He couldn't keep himself from laughing at the truth of that statement. "She would kick my ass from here to Pakistan and back. At least twice. And then make me carry all the souvenirs she'd buy. And all our luggage…"

The woman looked up at the picture he was looking at and then around the room at some of the others as well. She focused particularly on one picture with the two of them posing for a photo with a young girl who had apparently lost an eye and finally got treatment thanks to the two of them. "You two certainly did get to travel to some interesting places with JICA didn't you?" she asked with an amused voice. "I'm so envious!"

 _JICA… Yeah right. If you only knew Fuji-nee._

"We really did," he answered blandly.

"Good morning Aunt Tiger!" Kotori exclaimed cheerfully as she entered the living room dressed and ready for school. Her long red hair tied up in twin tails using the ribbons Rin gave her when they first adopted her. Ribbons she herself wore when she was the same age as Kotori. As she seated herself beside Taiga she unwrapped a lollipop and put it in her mouth while waiting for breakfast.

 _Rin had been wearing those ribbons that day for nostalgia's sake… Wait… Did Kotori just-_

Every muscle in Shirou's body cringed tightly when he realized his daughter had called Taiga Fujimura, the so called (strictly behind her back) ' _Tiger of Fuyuki'_ by her much detested nickname. Every one of his parental instincts screamed for him to run to Kotori's defense, with the shield of Ajax at the ready...

But the logical part of his mind knew that she had to learn some of her lessons the hard way just as he once had.

 _Best thing I can do is hurry up with breakfast. Food appeases the crouching Tiger... and the hidden Pendragon. Never worked on Rin though… Her anger always had to run its course._

"How many times have I told you never to call me that!" Taiga yelled at the top of her lungs. "Because of you every one of your classmates knows about that stupid nickname! I was finally free of it after your father graduated right up until you started attending!"

Shirou had to admit that he was not expecting what came next. Kotori put on the water works and looked up at her with those big red puppy eyes of her's and put on her best adorable sad face and voice she could muster. The little girl sounded so devastated that if he didn't know her better he would have been rushing over to comfort her.

"I'm just proud of you Aunt Tiger! You should be proud of your nickname too! Tigers are fierce, proud and noble animals just like you! I only call you that because I love you!"

Taiga "Tiger" Fujimura, or Fuji-nee as Shirou called her was many things, and yes, gullible idiot was indeed one of them. To his great surprise, and indeed pride, Kotori seemed to know exactly how to manipulate her. In Kotori's place he knew he would have been running for his life from the angry Tiger who certainly would have been wielding her infamous cursed shinai. The memory alone was enough to send shivers up his spine.

"Oh alright…" she said in surrender, "But you can only ever call me that here at home. Never at school. Do I make myself clear?"

Kotori expertly threw the lollipop into her own mouth and assumed a prideful new posture and tone, "Clear as the fury of a jungle predator Aunt Tiger!" she said with a garbled voice due the lollipop in her mouth.

 _Moe… If only I had known that was one of Fuji-nee's weaknesses… I'm sure I could have found a way to exploit it. I sure as hell could never have pulled off anything like that myself though. Maybe Sakura could have on my behalf? But Kotori… Damn it all. She's successfully weaponized her cuteness! I might not even be able to withstand that..._

Taiga then reached out to try and pluck the sweet treat out of Kotori's mouth but she had her teeth clamped down so tightly that nothing would could ever come out of her mouth except her groans of protest. "And why are you always having sweets before you've even had breakfast?! What would your mother say if she saw this?! Don't you think it's rude to spoil the breakfast your father cooks for us by having treats first thing in the morning?!"

"Just give it up Fuji-nee. Having Kotori-chan without something sweet in her mouth is like having rice with worcester sauce. It just doesn't work," he stated with resignation and a bad taste in his mouth from the memory of one of Taiga's sauce pranks against him.

Taiga looked at Shirou with a disappointed smile. "This is just bad parenting. From whom exactly she is learning manners?"

Shirou rolled his eyes at the remark, "Certainly not from you," he started with indignation, "I'm proud to say she doesn't break into other people's houses to freeload all her meals. Nor does she switch the labels on my sauce bottles when she gets upset with me."

"It isn't breaking and entering if I have the spare keys! Besides, this is as much my home as is it yours. Even if I don't own it anymore now that you're a grown-something-resembling-a-man. Even if a slightly embittered, snarky, class-less-"

"You do realize you actually have your own house. With your own food. And even your own bed… If you keep going with that train of thought I might change the locks..." Shirou reminded her none-too-gently while pouring out the water to brew the tea. He then put some coffee into a french press Rin got especially for her use and filled it with water to let the coffee brew in. Rin's genius was unrivaled, the quicker Taiga Fujimura got what she wanted, the less unpleasant she was to deal with.

"You wouldn't! The food you make… It's so good! You can't deny me! The worst part of all that time you spent traveling was living on all that instant food! Please don't make me go back to that Shirou!"

"Can't argue with that… Your waist line's certainly improved since my return…" right after he said it, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd live to regret it.

The smirk on her face while she was cuddling Kotori was telling enough. He was indeed going to dearly regret those words. As her grin widened he _knew_ he was going to regret them badly. It was the look she wore when she was plotting vengeance. He decided he'd have to be extra cautious for the next few days. And from the look on Kotori's face, he also knew he wouldn't have any allies in this coming battle.

Breakfast was relatively quiet. Except for the sound of Taiga scarfing down her food in a hurry. It seems that step one of her master plan was to abandon all table manners. She knew that Shirou hated that more than anything in the world. Bad table manners were one of his biggest peeves, especially when it was his food being consumed in such an uncivilized manner.

* * *

"Well. I'd best be off. Tests need to be graded and I have to make sure the dojo is open for morning practice. Don't be late again Kotori! You have to uphold your family honor in that dojo! Your father was the best there ever was, so don't shame his good name!"

"I won't Aunt Tiger. See you at practice."

Mere words could never properly convey the immense pride which swelled in Shirou's very soul the day Kotori started high school and joined the archery club. That and Kotori was now using Taiga's nickname with impunity. Which was certainly impressive to Shirou.

Kotori noticed the distant look of pride on Shirou's face and quickly started poking him in the ribs, exactly where she knew it hurt him the most.

"Earth to Pops! Don't we still have things to do?"

He chuckled while rubbing the fresh sore spot she poked into his side while they walked from the living room over to the shed in the back...

The workshop.

To the outside world, Shirou Emiya was just a single father with an adopted daughter. But once inside this workshop, his sanctum, he was a Magus. This was where he and his wife would further their magical studies while they were here. This was where they worked together to train their daughter. A task which Shirou had been forced to continue on his own.

Yes, he knew more about thaumaturgy and magical lore now than he ever did when he was Kotori's age, but he was still at a loss on how to advance her studies of her own unique abilities. But it was by no means a challenge he wasn't prepared to rise up to. After all his own magical abilities were a unique and special case. Kotori was no different, even if her power and his were as different as night and day.

Once they were inside and the doors shut, Kotori closed her eyes and allowed her powers to manifest and take on her true form.

"Elohim Gibor" she said calmly and then her school uniform was replaced with what they'd come to call her "Astral Dress" not at all unlike some other special beings he once knew, but that's another story.

Kotori wasn't a Heroic Spirit, but she certainly had the powers and presence to qualify. Her hair changed from the usual twin tails she wore and her ribbons were suddenly holding a pair of horns against the sides of her head with her red hair flowing long and straight. Her dress was a white kimono which was far too low cut for any father to feel comfortable seeing their daughter in, even if Rin took pride in Kotori's elegance in this form. Elegance was something in Rin's family motto which Shirou never really understood, and wasn't about to try and figure out. Elegance took a backseat with everything he did. The only thing which concerned Shirou Emiya was getting the job done. But he was thankful Kotori doesn't show off this look in public.

"Alright, you know what to do," he said to her while setting out a line of kerosene lamps.

Kotori closed her eyes again after giving me a firm nod and held her hand out towards the lamps. Her goal was deceptively simple. All she had to do was ignite the wicks without melting the lamps. Her power was the manipulation of fire, but she was far from being in any semblance of control of her abilities.

The first lamp ignited and was reduced to a puddle of metal and glass.

The second didn't fare much better than the first but at least one could sort of tell what it used to be if they tried hard enough.

The third melted down as well but it was a marked improvement.

Finally by the seventh she managed to ignite the wick, and melt the glass.

But improvement was improvement and Shirou quickly gave her a pat on the head for some positive reinforcement.

"This is so frustrating…" she muttered mostly to herself.

 _How am I supposed to become a hero like you if I can't even do this small thing right?_

Shirou suppressed a sigh and did his best to stay positive and encouraging, if he could make this just a little bit easier for her than it was for him then it would be worth every effort. "Believe me I know how frustrating it is. But you have to stick with it. Just like with archery, you have to practice, and practice, and practice some more until you get it right. Then you have to practice more until you can do it without even thinking about it. Trust me, you'll get there. If even a third-rate hack of a magus like me can get to the level I'm at now, you can master this."

"Well, at least I'm not setting the whole workshop on fire anymore…" she said while gesturing to the blackened area in question.

He looked over and suppressed a chuckle at the memory.

The first time Rin decided to work with Kotori on gaining control of her powers she set Rin's entire corner of the workshop on fire. After that Shirou had to spend an entire week going back and forth between the shed and a hardware store to renovate the shed and fireproof everything he could. He also made sure to keep a fire extinguisher somewhere he could quickly get to it, but thankfully after that first time, he never needed it. But it was comforting to know it was there.

By the twentieth try, she managed to ignite the wick without damaging the lamp and started jumping for joy.

Shirou knew that at this point Rin would have pulled one of her classic lecturing poses and gone off on some kind of tirade about managing expectations. But he knew beyond any doubt that she still would have been proud.

Part of him felt compelled to remind her that this was just another small step towards the ultimate goal but the biggest part, the part that was her father, was too proud to give a damn about little things like that so he just smiled brightly and nodded at her.

"I'm proud of you Kotori. Think you can do it again?" he asked with all the pride and enthusiasm he could muster.

Kotori balled her fists and nodded firmly, the challenge was accepted and she turned to the lanterns and held her hand out towards one and closed her eyes. He could feel the surge of mana being drawn into her and then being released, the wick ignited and burned steadily for a moment before it erupted and obliterated the lantern.

Kotori shielded herself with her arms from the shattered glass as it struck her and then looked down at the ground with a forlorn expression.

Shirou put a hand on top of her head again and pat it gently. "It's alright. Really. I did the same exact thing every time I practiced reinforcement magic. But you still managed to get it right once. I think you just let your excitement get the better of you and you lost control again. But you _are_ improving. That's what counts in the end."

Kotori sighed at herself, "I'm always _improving_ but never _accomplishing_ …"

"You've accomplished a lot. You can perform structural grasping as well as I can. You can reinforce components with no difficulty. You've come a long way in self-reinforcement too. All things to be very proud of. And you managed to get a wick ignited without destroying the lamp so we should celebrate that. Is there anything special you'd like to do?"

Kotori pondered that carefully for a long while before giving an answer, "Can we make Hamburgers for dinner?"

"We certainly can," he answered with a thumbs up.

* * *

Later at school Kotori stood in the firing line at the archery dojo. She raised her bow and drew it with intense focus. Her mind was cleared. It is said that for the disciplined archer, the arrow already exists in the target even before it's even been released. She had yet to experience that. For a beginner, the goal was to get the posture and movements right. Accuracy was something that would come with time and discipline. But this was what she enjoyed the most about Kyudo, the elegance of it all. She could almost hear Rin Tohsaka's voice in her head when she thought about it that way. But she quickly realized after taking up the practice that it was helping her not only to fit in better in high school, but it also went a long way to helping her develop the proper mindset to practice with her spirit powers and magecraft.

Kotori released the arrow and fell into the proper posture after. The target had been hit, but not where she was aiming. Part of her wanted to kick herself for it but that part of her quickly died down when she walked off the range and heard a hushed compliment.

"Well done Emiya."

 _Origami Tobiichi, she's a year ahead of me and also the only person in this school I would call my friend. We're both from the same town, and we're both orphans for the same reason. It's something we both know about each other that we simply do not speak of. For obvious reasons._

 _Tobiichi keeps this wall of ice up around her to keep people away. But me being the personification of a flamethrower that I am, I just powered my way through it and we've been friends ever since._

 _We met back when I first started attending school here. I didn't have any friends here yet, and neither did she. She was all alone in the cafeteria so I went up to her and started a conversation with her. It wasn't even all that awkward. We just started talking as if we'd known each other for years. Especially after we discovered we were both from the same place, and left at the same time. Nothing else needed to be mentioned about it after that._

 _She's also the reason I'm even here in the dojo right now. If it weren't for her I'd probably still be considering it, but not actually doing it. I didn't want to get into archery just because my name is Emiya and it was expected of me. With Tobiichi, I can do it just because it's something I want to do with my friend._

Kotori gave a slow nod before sitting seiza beside her and replied in a low voice to avoid breaking anyone's concentration, "I'm still not as good as you senpai. I need more practice to catch up to everyone."

Tobiichi also gave a slow nod, "You'll get there. You're not making as many rookie mistakes. I think you're the best of everyone who's at your level. You've only been practicing it for a short time now and you're leaving the other beginners behind."

"Thank you. You're making it hard to stay humble though… It's not that I'm trying to be better than anyone else or anything like that. I just enjoy it."

Kotori wanted to giggle but it would have been bad etiquette for the dojo so she forced herself to stay calm, keep her voice down, and keep a straight face.

"That means you are doing it correctly. It's suppose to be relaxing and enjoyable. The people who only care for being competitive are always the first ones to quit the team. Competition is only a very small part of the sport. If you are not willing to develop the correct state of mind and spirit, and treat it as an art as much a sport, then it becomes pointless."

"Thank you senpai," whispered Kotori while bowing her head to her friend, "I'll remember that."

* * *

After practice that morning, Kotori sat at her desk waiting for class to start when one of her school mates sitting in front of her started getting frustrated with his phone. "Oh no no no! Not now! Not this! Please work damn you!" she heard him hiss.

"What's your problem Tonomachi?" she asked him in a loud voice.

 _Hiroto Tonomachi. He isn't someone I'd call a friend, but just someone whose existence I don't really mind._

"My phone just stopped working… It's been doing that a lot lately," the boy complained.

"Just buy a new one? What's the big deal?" she replied.

"Not all of us have rich daddies..." he snarked while fiddling with it.

Kotori groaned and stood up where she reached up over his shoulder to take his phone out of his hands, "Give me that, you're starting to piss me off. He isn't rich, we just don't waste money on cheap and frivolous crap, we go for quality above all else… Let me fix this for you," she said while looking the phone over.

 _Quality… I guess you could say that. More like, 'things we can use strengthening magic on to extend their lifespans into the foreseeable future.'_

"How are you gonna do that Emiya?" asked Tonomachi while turning around to look at her.

"The answer is in your question. My name is Emiya. I can fix anything. Even your stupid face if you keep annoying me! Now shut up and let me concentrate," the twin-tailed redhead demanded.

Kotori held the phone under the desk so nobody could see what she was doing and tilted her head down to 'look' at it while she held it discreetly in her desk to ensure no one could see the magic circuits in her hand glowing.

 _My own element, I can't control, but things like this are beyond easy… Life's so unfair._

 _Oh well…_

 _Structure analyzed._

 _Nothing's really wrong with the hardware but the processor is wearing out from constantly over heating. I can give it a little boost for now. That should see him through for a little while longer. Probably trying to run a game or something that's too heavy for it._

 _Components reinforced._

She then turned the screen back on to check if it was working again and raised a twitching eyebrow at what she saw.

"Did you get it working again Emiya?" he inquired cautiously.

"Yes... But you'll have to get a new one eventually. So start saving up... These apps you're trying to run are way too taxing on the hardware… So I turned down the graphic settings. That should keep you from melting the processor," Kotori slowly explained with a calm sort of firm voice which had the boy looking at her with apprehension.

"Also…" she added while holding up the phone for him to see the screen. "You had better have a _damn_ good explanation for why the girl in your dating sim looks _exactly_ like **me**."

"Uhhh… Because twintails rock?" he nervously stuttered.

In the background there were hushed snickers of amusement at the boy's plight.

" _Busted,"_ said one student.

" _He is so dead,"_ said a second.

" _That is so lame,"_ added a third.

"Uhh-huh… Can you think of a good reason why I shouldn't hurt you right now?" Kotori asked of him with narrowed eyes and a sadistic grin on her lips.

Tonomachi tensed up under the weight of her faux serene smile and stare "Uhh… Because if you forget about this I could make it worth your while?"

 _Watching him squirm is so great! But you know… If he cleaned up his act and put a little effort into making himself more presentable... He really wouldn't be bad looking. But he's still an irritant. At the very least, he doesn't mean to be. It's not like a can of pepper spray means to be harsh for your face. That's just what it was made to do._

 _I suppose you could call him authentic, and begrudgingly, I do have to admit I respect that. He doesn't put on a mask for the approval of his peers. He's himself, and doesn't try to be anything but that. Love him or hate him, with Tonomachi, what you see is what you get._

And no. She wouldn't spare a moment's thought to the implications of him making a character in a dating sim look like her.

 _I'm just going to milk it for all it's worth. This is probably the most entertainment I'm going to get all day._

"Shame on you. Offering me a bribe?" Kotori's smile grew more mischievous. "You'd better make it good then!"

"If you let this go.. I'll… Umm… Hey you like those magical girl animes right? I got the whole first season of Kaleido Ruby!"

Kotori shook her head while handing him back the phone. "You are a sick man Tonomachi. First of all. Why do you even have that?" she asked and then quickly cut him off before he could respond, "No wait. Don't answer. I don't want to know. Secondly. I hate that show. The main character looks too much like my mother. Makes me think some creepo like you that she rejected in high school designed the character after her."

"So… What do you want in exchange for not hurting me then?" he asked her with a skeptical eye as he took back his phone.

She stood up and smacked him across the back of his head making him yelp in pain. "You have nothing to offer me except the sound of your suffering."

"Oww! Damn it Emiya what's with you? You're like a one-hundred tsun, zero dere! That's why you can't get a boyfriend!" he yelled at her.

Kotori sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest, the amused smirk never leaving her face. "Are you sure you want to go there Tonomachi? I mean you created a tsundere girlfriend in Date A Live _who looks like_ _ **me**_. Don't pretend it doesn't work for you."

She then reached over to smack him upside the head once again, "Baka. You must enjoy being punished!"

"The fact that you even know what that game is says as much about you as it does about me," he snarked.

Kotori held up her phone with the popular dating sim active on it with a proud smile on her face. "Mine doesn't look like you. And she's a yandere!"

The boy eye rolled at her, "And you say I've got issues… I didn't know you were into girls. That explains a lot..."

Kotori reached over and smacked him a third time. "Don't get your hopes up pervert. She's got the 'big sister' personality. Besides, rumor has it _you_ actually play for both teams."

"Big sister huh? I'm not sure if I should be even more turned on, or even more worried by you right now…" he wondered aloud with a hand on his chin.

 _Is Tonomachi actually trying to flirt with me? Did his balls finally drop today?_

"Get ready everyone! Taiga's about to come barreling in!" she heard the class rep say loudly from the doorway as he quickly moved to his seat, and so too did everyone else prepare for the impending arrival of their homeroom teacher.

A short moment later Taiga Fujimura came rushing into the classroom wishing everyone a good morning in her usual loud and obnoxious voice when, predictably, she tripped over something and fell flat on her face where she remained unmoving for a while amidst the amused murmurs of the other students trying to decide amongst themselves what to do about the situation.

"Good idea!" Kotori heard someone say loudly from the front while everyone moved towards the front of the class, Kotori included. There was just no way she wasn't getting in on this!

"All together!" the class rep directed.

" **Class time Tiger!"** they all yelled in unison.

" **My name isn't** _ **Tiger**_ **!"** she yelled back at them while quickly getting back onto her feet.

Kotori could almost swear she saw the visage of an actual tiger behind her as Taiga yelled at them all to sit down so she could take attendance.

* * *

It was noon time when Shirou Emiya arrived at a cafe in new city, the more modern part of Fuyuki city. He didn't want to even think about his proximity to the site of the Fuyuki City fire and kept his mind firmly on the business at hand. There was a woman with short dark blue hair and glasses waiting for him there. Her clothing resembled a typical nun except for the lack of any head coverings.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Shirou Emiya. Long time no see," she said while standing up to greet him.

"Too long," he said with a pleasant smile as he embraced the woman warmly. After a moment he stepped back to look her over, "You haven't changed a bit. You look happy though. How's Shiki and your other friend… What was her name?"

"Arcueid. They're both doing well. Shiki was very disappointed that he couldn't make it here. You know he really likes you a lot. He said to tell you that you have an open invitation to come over to Misaki any time you want."

Shirou brightened his smile, "You don't have to lie for him Ciel. He hates my guts. But you know my door is always open to all of you as well, irrespective of how he feels about me."

"For the life in me, I can't ever figure out why you two can't get along. You have so much in common. Like for example, you're the two most frustratingly unselfish people on the face of the Earth," she said while shaking her head.

Shirou in turn shrugged his shoulders, "I honestly have no problem with the man. I respect him. But I can't help it if the feeling isn't mutual."

"He does respect you Shirou. He just…" Ciel's voice trailed off as she searched for the most tactful way to put it.

"He hates my guts. Call it what it is. But this isn't why you're here. So what actually brings you all the way down from Misaki?"

Ciel slid over a folder to Shirou across the table as a waitress came to take their orders, both of them ordering tea.

While Shirou opened the folder to examine the contents Ciel continued making small talk, "How's Kotori?"

"She's doing well. She's started High School. She's even practicing Kyudo. And apparently she's getting good at it," he answered proudly.

"I'm sure she'll surpass her father soon enough," remarked Ciel.

"I'm sure she will. So anyway, this is interesting and all…" said Shirou while pointing to the folder he was studying, "But what does it have to do with me?"

"As you know, Rin, God rest her soul, was studying the spacequakes. Before she di-" Ciel bit her lip to choose to her words more carefully, "-she asked me to see if the Church was doing any of their own research since the relevant people at the Clocktower stopped sharing their findings with her for some reason,"

There wasn't much at first, but then a lot started happening so I kept tabs on it all. This was what I managed to find out. I didn't know what else to do with it and it felt wrong to just let this gather dust. So I thought I'd give it to you and see if you could do anything with it," she explained.

Shirou carefully looked over the next bit of information in the folder, things he couldn't discuss out loud and his face soured as he skimmed through it. Ciel glanced over at him with a knowing expression, their eyes met and there was a silent moment between them where Ciel let Shirou know that it was entirely accurate.

Ciel's eyes hardened as she drew in a breath to address him again, "Shirou… There isn't anyone else who can do what you do. You don't play by the same rules as the rest of us. So if you really wanted to. You could follow up on this and see where it leads."

Shirou's eyes narrowed at her, "I suppose that means you wouldn't be able to help me if anything comes of this?"

Ciel in turn shook her head, "Just getting as much as I did got me in trouble," when she saw the concerned look on his face she held up her hand and put on a smile, "It's nothing I can't clean up. I owed it to Rin to see this through. We all know she never asked anyone for anything if it wasn't very important. And as you can see, she was on to something. She told me she had a lot of suspicions but no evidence. Question is what was she thinking? What was she on to?"

Shirou nodded, "She never talked about it with me. But I have a few guesses from the notes she left behind. They're a jumbled mess, but who knows, something might make more sense in light of this."

Ciel picked up her teacup and took a small sip from it, enjoying the aroma, "So tell me something Shirou. What's it like?"

Shirou picked up his head and looked at her quizzically, "What's what like?"

"Being a parent," she specified.

Shirou couldn't help the amused smirk that found its way onto his lips, "Considering giving it a try?"

Ciel shrugged her shoulders, "We've talked about it."

Shirou smiled at the woman across from him, "Do you remember that mess in Warsaw?"

Ciel visibly cringed at the memory but nodded to the man. "Waist deep in blood, guts, and raw sewage with the fate of the city in balance."

Shirou nodded, "Mhmm. Point is… We all have moments that really test our courage. You go into a situation expecting it to be no different from every other life or death experience you've survived. Then you get into that one battle that raises the bar. Parenting is like that every day. No matter what you do to prepare for it, from the day it begins you quickly discover that the only things which happen are the things you never could have anticipated,"

Having said that. I wouldn't trade my experiences with Kotori for anything. But between us, there have been moments when I thought being up to my neck in monsters and the raw sewage of an entire city was much easier to deal with. I had to become a parent to discover that _**real**_ _and_ _ **true**_ _courage…_ Is bringing a small child into a house that has white carpets."

Ciel couldn't help but break into a boisterous laughing fit. "Perhaps someday I'll put my own courage to the test. I do actually have white carpets."

"I'm confident you'd be an awesome mother," said Shirou while picking up his own tea cup. "Just remember that once it happens, your life stops being your own to throw away on a whim."

Ciel raised an eyebrow at him upon hearing that statement, Shirou smirked at her knowingly and then added, "You know I've seen how you fight."

Ciel widened her eyes and looked at him with a completely stupefied expression, "Look who's talking!" she gasped at him! "As far as I'm concerned the battle wasn't over until Rin chewed you out for whatever monumentally stupid thing you did during the fight!"

Shirou's expression turned serious while he nodded, "It isn't the way I think about my own life that changed. What I think about is what would happen to Kotori if something happened to me. I don't want to leave her like my father left me."

Ciel suddenly felt the uncomfortable silence that came over them and Shirou decided to quickly break the ice that was forming. "If you're staying in town why don't you come over for dinner? I'm sure Kotori would love to see you."

"I would if I could. But I have to be getting back on the next train. An Executor's work is never done. And apparently, neither is the work of a champion of justice turned father. But we can sit and catch up for a while."

"Are you sure? We're having burgers tonight, but I still have ingredients for curry…" he said to her in a sly voice.

"Damn you Shirou Emiya… I really can't… But now you're just making me hate it even more!"

"Can't be helped. I've missed you," he replied with a curt nod.

"Missed you too. We should really get together more often. We talked about going to Okinawa this summer. Why don't you and Kotori join us?" offered the bluenette.

"Won't Shiki have a problem with that?"

"That's _his_ problem. As far as I'm concerned, after all we've been through together, you're family. Family comes first. For all I care, if he wants to be difficult, he can sit in a corner and fume while the rest of us have a good time."

Shirou couldn't keep the smile from his face, "I'll have to run it by Kotori before I can give a _definitive_ yes. But I can _tentatively_ say yes on my own behalf right now."

Before Ciel could express her enthusiasm for his answer the pair were interrupted by two men in business suits presumptively seating themselves at their table.

"Excuse me gentlemen? May we help you?" asked Shirou while he and Ciel glanced between the two men. Each of them had their hands drifting calmly to their sides, Shirou mentally preparing himself to trace a sword and Ciel holding a hand over her Bible in preparation to bring forth her Black Keys.

One of the men opened his jacket in a subtle manner to reveal his holstered pistol to the pair while the second reached out to take the folder Ciel had given to Shirou. "We'll be needing this. We'd also like both of you to accompany us."

Ciel and Shirou both raised an eyebrow to each other. "This is new…" Shirou calmly observed.

"Do you two have any idea who we are or what we're capable of? If you don't that's fine, I understand that. It just means whomever sent you considers you expendable. But if you do know, then you're either very brave, which I can respect. Or very stupid. Which I frown upon. I'd really like to know which it is," Ciel spoke casually.

"Please sister, just come with us. I really don't want have to hurt a nun," said the man who showed off his gun confirming to Ciel that he indeed didn't have the first clue about what she or Shirou really were. He put a hand on Ciel's shoulder while the second did likewise with Shirou.

Ciel and Shirou exchanged glances with Ciel's eyes quickly darting to the man beside her while she stood up. Shiou in turn shook his head and let his eyes drift away from the man beside him. Ciel gave a very short nod before the two walked away while being escorted towards a large white van which was waiting for them. They were pushed in somewhat roughly with the two men getting in behind them and then they sped off.

* * *

After taking a moment to see the traffic on the highway was thinned out considerably, and the city limits crossed Shirou turned to Ciel with a pleasant smile, "Looks like you're going to be staying for dinner after all," he stated with an amused tone the blue haired woman who was seated beside him. In front of them were the two men who picked them up and in the front of the van behind where Shirou and Ciel were sitting was a driver and another man in the passenger seat.

"The Lord works in mysterious ways…" she said while clutching her Bible tightly in her left hand.

"I don't think this is His work," said Shirou while gesturing to the two men in front of them. He then turned his head towards the the men in question, "Since I doubt it was God who sent you… Who actually did?"

"Don't commit blasphemy in front of a nun! You'll find out when we get there," was the only response given.

"Oh. A believer..." Shirou rolled his eyes until he was looking at Ciel with an irate expression which she returned to him, then they both eye-rolled back towards the two men in front of them and simultaneously covered their faces with their palms while sighing loudly.

"What's with them?" asked the other suited man to his partner.

Shirou picked up his head and looked at the man and then groaned back into his palm, "You guys really have no idea what's about to happen to you, do you?"

The two men exchanges curious glances and then looked back at the pair in front of them with sideways looks.

"I'm not actually a nun… I'm afraid it's much worse. Anyway Shirou. I'll take these two," said Ciel with a disappointed voice.

"No. They're mine. I can't fit through that," he said while gesturing behind with a thumb towards the open space behind them leading to the front of the van.

"Ahh. Right. My bad," she replied with an amused voice.

The two men in front of them exchanged glances once again and started reaching for their guns.

Shirou held up his hands while lunging towards the two men. " _Trace_ _on!_ "

In his hands his two most beloved swords materialized, Kanshou and Bakuya, the married chinese falchions, and with one quick movement each man lost the arms with which they drew their guns.

Meanwhile Ciel jumped through to the front of the van and into the space between the driver and passenger seats. She punched out the driver while taking a hold of the steering wheel. "Shirou!" she called out while blocking punches from the man in the passenger seat with one hand that was still clutching her Bible and struggling to keep the van from swerving out of control with her other. The next instant the man attacking her was impaled through the chest with a white chinese sword.

Ciel unfastened the driver's seatbelt and reached over to open the door where she pushed the man's unconscious body out onto the highway and then shut the door while seating herself properly.

"Why can't I ever have a normal day out when I'm with you?!" she loudly complained while turning onto the next exit.

"I was just going to ask you the same question!" he retorted while he finished subduing the two men in the rear with him.

* * *

Ciel drove the van to a relatively secluded spot just outside the city and parked it in some dense foliage out of sight of anyone driving by. When she got out of the van Shirou was already out and approaching her.

"Those two I left with you still alive?"

Shirou shrugged his shoulders, "They bled out a little while ago. They didn't answer any of my questions. But I did find these on them," he answered nonchalantly while handing her a pair of identification cards.

Ciel examined them for a moment before handing them back, "D.E.M. Industries. The company founded by the Mages Association members who were suppose to be giving information to Rin about the spacequakes."

"I didn't read that far into the file you gave me. But this doesn't make any sense. If what you say is true and someone at the top knew you were gathering information on them for Rin and then passing it onto me why only send these poor guys to retrieve it? Didn't they know what would happen?"

"They had to have known. These people knew Rin very well, and us by extension. There had to be a reason," she surmised.

Shirou looked at the folder Ciel had given him earlier, "Whatever the answer, it's probably in here somewhere. Let's clean this up and then head back into town," he said while tracing a pair of shovels for them.

Ciel groaned in annoyance. "I hate this part…"

* * *

Meanwhile, it was lunch time over at Homurahara Academy. Kotori Emiya was sitting in the cafeteria across from Origami Tobiichi enjoying a quiet meal until they were interrupted by the sound of Tobiichi's phone alerting her to a new message.

"Excuse me," she said apologetically while reading the message.

"Anything important?" asked a curious Kotori.

"Not especially," came the unenthused response, "I was meant to be meeting with my guardian after school but it seems she's had to cancel."

Kotori shrugged, "Would you like to go do something with me after school then? We could head down to Miyama and hang out?"

Tobiichi seemed to consider it for a long moment before giving a small nod.

"You've never talked about your guardian. Could you tell me about her?" Kotori asked in a cautious tone.

"Her name is Ryouko Kusakabe. There isn't much to tell about her. We get along. She's immature at times, quick to anger at seemingly small things, but she's reliable," she explained with her usual flat tone.

"Does she get angry with you a lot?" Kotori asked with a raised eyebrow, the tone in her voice ready to explode if her suspicion was confirmed.

Tobiichi shook her head, "No. I don't give her cause to be angry with me. Her anger is mostly directed at her work. She has never been anything but supportive, encouraging, kind, and considerate towards me," she said with what Kotori would describe as a warm and happy tone. As far as her expressiveness went that was about the most emotional Origami Tobiichi ever allowed herself to be.

Kotori breathed out with relief upon hearing that, "What does she do for a living?"

"She's a military officer. She spends most of her time working so we don't live together. She was told she could be off duty today but it seems that's changed. Possibly because of all the spacequakes recently. Normally we only see each other on the weekends, unless something happens," she explained.

"Is she pretty?" Kotori asked with a smirk.

"She is often complimented. So I would assume so. How is that relevant to anything?"

Kotori's smirk grew into a small smile, "Do you have a picture of her by chance?"

Tobiichi tapped her phone a few times before showing Kotori the requested image. Kotori's small smile grew into a big bright one. "Oh she's _totally_ pretty! You two should come over to our place for dinner sometime in the near future. It'd be a crime not to introduce her to my pops."

Tobiichi scrutinized Kotori with a very critical eye. "Explain your intentions…" she demanded.

Kotori felt a chill up her spine at the sudden shift in tone but refused to let it deter her. "Well. Bluntly. He's single. If she's single. We should introduce them and see what happens. They might like each other. My pops is a really good guy! Trust me. She'll never in her life meet a nicer guy!"

 _Damn… She must like this woman a lot. She's very protective of her!_

"Ryouko has expressed some frustration with the unsuitability of the available men she is presently surrounded by," the white haired girl said thoughtfully, "I'm sure she'll give the invitation due consideration,"

 _Phew… I thought she was going to get really mad at me for suggesting that._

"Don't put it so bluntly to her Senpai! Just tell her that since you and I are such good friends that you'd like her to meet us or something."

"I shouldn't lie to her. It would be improper. Consider it this way. If you want each of them to express honest intentions would it not be better for them to go into the situation with clear intentions to begin from?"

Kotori bowed her head at the neck towards the older girl, "Tobiichi-senpai has much wisdom! She is much good friend to Kotori."

Tobiichi scrutinized the red haired girl with her eyes again. "Why are you speaking in third person?"

"Senpai has no sense of humor…" said Kotori with a heavy sigh as she face planted into the cafeteria table.

After a long moment she quickly picked up her head and looked at Tobiichi with a very happy face, "I just realized. If those two can hit it off, you and I could become sisters!"

"She's my guardian. Not my adoptive mother. I am not certain it works that way."

Kotori's face was instantly reunited with the table, "Should have known I was barking up the wrong tree for optimistic enthusiasm. Mind sending me that photo of her? I'll show it to my pops and talk him into this. I'll let you know what happens. I'll send you a good one of my pops and you can do the same."

"Agreed," said Tobiichi with a quick nod.

* * *

After cleaning up the mess they made out of the men who attempted to kidnap them Shirou and Ciel were walking up a long street which would lead them back into the city.

"Had I known I'd spend my day walking this much I might have slept in and avoided exercising this morning," Ciel joked.

"I would have slept in but Kotori doesn't allow it. If she wakes up before me she tortures me until I'm out of bed."

Ciel burst into a laughing fit at the mental image of Shirou Emiya being tortured by a fourteen year old girl. "What does she do?" she managed to get out between fits of mirth.

Shirou rolled his eyes at his companion's sudden immaturity. "When she was smaller she'd jump on my stomach like a trampoline. When she got too big for that she started experimenting to find a new _optimal_ way to make sure I'd wake up and not fall asleep again. She settled on yelling while poking me between the ribs…" he explained while rubbing a phantom pain in his aforementioned ribs.

"Even when you talk about something you find annoying about her you have this proud look on your face," observed Ciel.

Shirou tightened up at the thought, "She's all I have left in the world. Without her I'd end up like my father before he adopted me. Or worse… I'd literally be _him_ right now."

Ciel slowly nodded, "You mean _him_ from when you freaked out when I made you that-"

"Yes," he said in a hard voice to keep her from further reminding him.

Before the conversation could continue there was a loud siren blaring from the city.

"Spacequake alarm…" they muttered together.

"This far from a shelter… If it happens here…" added Ciel.

"Let's not think about that. Just keep moving," answered Shirou while quickening his pace.

 _That's the problem with these damn quakes… All we know is the widest approximate area they're going to happen in. Beyond that, where exactly they will strike and how powerful they will be is anyone's guess until they actually happen._

 _Three years ago we didn't even know that much but Rin thought she'd discovered the cause. So we packed up and traveled to where the quakes were most frequent at the time, South America..._

Shirou shook off his train of thought as he and Ciel continued towards the city at the quickest pace they could sustain, which for them was exactly fast enough that they were thankful the road was deserted.

* * *

Kotori stood in a line waiting to get into the shelter, she looked around and saw all her classmates and many others from school but not her friend.

 _She's probably at the front of the line somewhere… I hope pops is getting to a shelter._

She got her phone out of her pocket and activated the locator app which she used, for strictly innocent purposes and nothing mischievous at all, to be aware of where her father was at all times. At least, all times he had his phone on him.

Shirou thought the feature would be a useful parenting aid but as every parent eventually learns, their children inevitably surpass their own technological abilities. Shirou Emiya may as well have had a stone tool in his pocket compared to how much Kotori Emiya could do with the same device.

 _What's he doing all the way out there?_

She closed the app and opened another one that showed the projected danger zone for the spacequake and input his location. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized he was right in the center of it!

She reached into her pocket and pulled out an earpiece connected to her phone and started running out of the shelter to where she could get the best possible reception on her phone, ignoring the protests of her classmates and teachers as she did so.

 _We're ten whole kilometers out of the danger zone… Evacuating was pointless anyway! Gotta hurry! If only I could use my spirit powers or magecraft right now… Damn it legs move faster!_

Kotori emerged from the quake shelter and checked her phone to find a full signal bar and dialed the number.

* * *

Shirou reached into his pocket for his phone when he heard the distinctive ringtone, Kotori's favorite song.

Ciel glared at him irately, "Is this really the time to be taking calls? And why do you have a dubstep ringtone?!"

Shirou shook his head while answering the phone, "Kotori? This isn't a good time. You'd better be calling from a shelter!" he said loudly while fighting to maintain his breathing.

"Shut up and listen pops!" Kotori yelled. "You're right smack in the center of the projected ground zero and you're exactly five kilometers from the nearest shelter."

"I'm perfectly aware of that Kotori… That's where we're going right now!" he yelled back.

"You don't have enough time!" she yelled in a frenzied panic while looking at the spacequake app. "Turn to your right and start running to the north west! At your current pace that'll take you out of the project ground zero in three minutes. I'll try to find somewhere close for you to take cover! Hurry!"

"Got it!" he yelled back into his phone and pointed towards the direction Kotori told him to run towards for Ciel while turning and pushing himself to run as fast he could.

Kotori meanwhile watched his progress on her 'parental unit locator' app while nervously biting her thumb. Suddenly she felt the tremors begins in the air around her. The final warning that the quake was imminent. She checked the app once again which was constantly updated by satellite telemetry. This was the moment when the most accurate prediction could be made of where the quake would strike.

With frantic fingers she swiped back to a detailed map of the the Fuyuki City area and zoomed it in on where her father was.

"Pops! Are you still there?!" she screamed into the earpiece. "ANSWER ME!"

There was nothing but the sound of his labored breathing for a long moment before he answered back into his phone. "I'm here."

"There should be a small shed like thing at the end of the field you're running through…"

"I see it."

"It's got a high structural security rating on the disaster app! Get to it and get behind it! Not inside it! Put your back to its north side! NOW! The quake is happening and you're very close to it!"

"Believe me Kotori… We feel it happening. We're running as fast as we possibly can!"

"We? Who're you with?!"

"Ciel…"

"Tell her I said hi once you get behind that shed… Please hurry!"

Kotori gazed in the direction of the projected spacequake as the vibrations grew stronger. She knew it would be much stronger where Shirou and Ciel were right now. It was as if the whole world was trying to tear itself apart as the spacequake erupted in the distance. The building obstructing her view of the event visibly swayed and wind howled through the city as it was rapidly displaced by the event.

Her teeth clenched as she watched them get closer to the shed on her app without the faintest idea of what was happening to them right now. She listened on bated breath to her earpiece for any hint from her father that he was alright but there was nothing she could hear except for white noise from the earpiece and the area around her.

The winds intensified and she had to shield her eyes from the dust and debris being swept up by the harsh winds. The only thought on her mind was how harsh conditions must be at and near ground zero where Shirou and Ciel were now (according to her app) taking cover where she told them to. But all she knew was where they were, not if they were alright. Her eyes never left the dot on the map which let her know that at the very least his phone was still intact.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

Thank you all so very much for the overwhelmingly positive and supportive reviews and PM's everyone! I was a little nervous about writing and posting this next chapter because of the response to the first chapter. It felt like a very tough act to follow, so I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as the first

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

"Are you still there?" Shirou said into his phone.

Kotori breathed out in one massive sigh of relief. "I'm here. Are you two alright?"

"Somehow. We're both fine," came his reply.

"Thank God!" she said before finally allowing herself to regain her composure.

"Kotori-chan. I'm going to take back everything bad I've ever said about technology. You did good," he said with his own relieved voice.

Kotori grinned to herself, "I'll remember you said that the next time we talk about getting a computer and an internet connection in our house. I'll see you at home."

* * *

Shirou shoved his phone back into his pocket and and finally allowed himself a moment to relax. Meanwhile Ciel poked her head up over what was left of the reinforced concrete shed they had used for cover and whistled and impressed tune at the devastation before her. "It's one thing to see it on the TV, it's another to see it with your own two eyes…"

Ciel looked over at Shirou who was resting with his back to what was left of the wall behind him with his eyes shut tightly. "What's with the long face?"

Shirou opened his eyes and looked up at Ciel and pointed with his thumb back at the scene she was looking at a moment ago. "Just taking a moment to appreciate how close that was and how Kotori found this spot for us using nothing but her phone."

Ciel whistled another impressed tune, "She guided us here? With just her phone?"

"She did… She even somehow figured out that this thing could withstand the blast. Oh and she said hi to you," he answered while standing up and looking out across what was probably some very good farmland. Now nothing but a large crater and debris strewn about.

 _This is how it always is. Widespread vibration phenomenon, or spacequakes. It's a bit of a misnomer but it's all we've got. It's less like an earthquake and more like a powerful bomb going off. Science has no explanation for it but we mages do. At least Rin did. Something about interdimensional somethings or others intersecting with our own whatever… I really should have paid more attention to her words sometimes and less to her… Allure. Yeah. Let's just call it that._

"Shirou… I think we need to take a look inside..." started Ciel while pointing out towards the crafter.

 _That feeling, so much power…_

"I think I agree," he said while leaping over the remains of the shed and then guardedly moving towards the crater with Ciel falling in step beside him.

There was a steep climb to reach the rim of the crater before they could see inside of it. The entire crater was a few hundred meters in diameter but that wasn't what brought both Shirou and Ciel to a complete pause.

In the centre of the crater was a large stone chair like-

 _Call it what it is! A throne!_

A throne… With a young woman standing beside it, her foot up on the arm rest. She was covered in armor as well as glowing with a purple energy which was being released from her and floating about inside the crater like a mist.

Her head turned slightly to regard the pair at the crater's edge for a brief moment. She then stepped up to the top of the _throne_ and pulled a sword out from the top and with a mighty swing unleashed some sort of energy based attack upon the two.

Neither Shirou nor Ciel were surprised and neither flinched as they saw the attack would clearly miss them. They knew a warning shot when it was hurled at them from the tip of a sword. What did actually take the pair by surprise was the blinding speed with which the young woman covered the distance between the throne and their persons.

 _Saber would have been impressed…_

"Not you too," she stated in an emotionless monotone. The girl was now behind them with her sword pointed between them. Shirou's eyes widened as he inspected the blade.

 _What is that… I can't get a read on it… Not again! It's making my head hurt to look at it!_

The sword had no physical edge to it. It was a slab of metal with glowing lines of energy flowing through it. The edges of the blade were also somehow ethereal in nature. It was beautiful to behold at least to Ciel. To Shirou it was migraine inducing as his structural grasping failed to comprehend its construction.

It appeared to both that the girl misinterpreted their silence for hostility because the next thing she said was, "I see. So it's true. You came here to kill me."

Ciel managed to speak first while Shirou was still searching for his wits. "No. We didn't. If we had been we would alr-"

"Do not try denying you are here to kill me. I must deal with you before the others arrive," she replied in that same voice, barren of emotion.

Shirou eventually shook it off and moved his eyes from her sword to her eyes where he couldn't help but realize the look she wore.

 _Her face was stern and resolved. But in her eyes there was a sadness I couldn't have missed even as a younger and more naive man. I'd seen those eyes before many times, in many different people. I see it in the mirror every morning. And I've seen it in much greater beings..._

Shirou steeled his own expression and firmly met her eyes with his own. "Wait. That isn't why we came. We're not here to kill you. Unless you choose to attack us again we want no quarrel with you."

"I don't believe you!" she said with a raised voice as she raised her sword to strike Shirou.

Shirou held his arms out to his sides, "Trace on!"

With that he projected his two favored falchions and brought them up to catch the woman's sword as it came down on him.

 _What the hell?!_

As the sword came into contact with his projections they immediately shattered and sent him roughly to the ground where he landed on his backside. Before the woman could strike at him again Ciel was there to block with her Black Keys. Unlike Shirou's projections though, her weapons were up to the task. In each of her hands, between all of her fingers, were three of the bladed weapons held in a fan formation, all crossed to catch the blade and completely stop it.

"I don't know how you managed to break his swords, but you won't break my Black Keys! Now please stop this! We meant it when we said we didn't want to fight you! So don't make us!"

The two women glared into each other's eyes for a long moment before something forced them to pull apart. All three then redirected their attention to the sky where they saw a group of eight missiles coming at them.

Shirou immediately stood up to project a defense when the mysterious swordswoman beat him to it and put out her own hand to create a bubble of energy around them all which blocked all of the missiles.

 _Impressive…_

Shirou and Ciel both whistled their impressed tune as they bore witness to the woman's defense.

"Why do they not realize the futility of their attacks?" the swordswoman said disappointedly after the missiles detonated upon her shield.

After it was safe to do so she released the energy shield and leapt up into the air where she intercepted more missiles which were heading towards the them. Only this time she did it by slicing the air and sending streaks of energy out to the missiles, destroying them on impact.

She then sliced the two two more times to break up a formation of-

 _Wait… Those are people! They're flying with some kind of jetpacks?!_

Shirou reinforced his eyes for a closer look at the flying people. They were soldiers. That much he could tell by the markings on their equipment.

"A.S.T. Three…" he read to Ciel.

"Who are those people Shirou?"

"They're soldiers by the look of them. I've never heard of soldiers using jetpacks like that before. Outside of anime,"

"Shirou! You're over thirty and you're still watching anime?" chastised Ciel.

"I have a fourteen year old daughter…" he said in his own defense.

 _And a surrogate big sister who's even more immature than said fourteen year old…_

The formation of flying soldiers split up and moved to encircle the now flying swordswoman while pelting her with machine gun fire which didn't seem to have a prayer of breaching her defenses.

Two of the soldiers split off the main group and started moving towards Shirou and Ciel with their weapons pointed at them.

Shirou could sense their killing intent and raised his hand out towards them. "Get behind me Ciel…" she didn't need to be told. She was already moving.

As the soldiers began firing Shirou projected his own shield. "Rho Aias!"

The soldiers didn't even seem all that surprised by Shirou's strange ability. One continued firing on his multi layered and seven petaled purple shield while the other tried to circle around behind them where the shield wasn't providing coverage.

But before they could be fired upon, Ciel threw out the Black Keys from her left hand and impaled the flying soldier in the chest with all three, killing him instantly and sending him to the ground.

While the other soldier moved to reload his rifle Shirou switched from his shield to a bow and in his free hand projected a sword. He placed the sword in the bow and reconfigured it into a long thin and aerodynamic arrow which he promptly fired off at the flying soldier.

The arrow then bounced harmlessly off the soldier, the impact revealing a spherical energy shield around the man.

 _What the hell?!_

Shirou was dumbfounded as he and Ciel started dodging bullets. In the sky above them the mysterious swordswoman was engaged with six other aerial soldiers in life or death combat.

"You'd better get serious now Shirou!"

 _I'm always serious damn it! But why did her Black Keys go through without any trouble and not my sword? Why did they block that woman's sword when my own couldn't? What am I missing?_

 _A Black Key, also known as a Key of Providence is a spiritual weapon. It's designed to call forth the original laws of nature which vampires were subject to as humans so they can't heal the wounds inflicted upon them. They aren't designed for attack power, they're meant to intervene spiritually._

 _This doesn't make any sense... but what the hell?_

Shirou allowed his bow to dissolve and traced a set of Ciel's Black keys for himself and hurled them up at the soldier. They instantly went through his protective barrier and into his neck, chest and abdomen. It was a sloppy throw. Ciel could hurl all six of hers without them spreading at all before impact. But as long as the job was done, that was what was most important to Shirou Emiya.

Ciel walked up beside Shirou and got more of her Black Keys ready. "Shall we help her finish the rest off?"

Shirou seemed to consider it for a long moment to Ciel's growing irritation.

"Make a decision Shirou! We already killed two of them. So we've already picked a side!"

"You're right… I hope we didn't choose wrong."

Ciel stomped on Shirou's foot, "Pull yourself together!"

"What the hell?" he asked with a raised brow.

 _I'm saying that a lot today..._

"I'd smack you across the face but I'm holding these…" she said while showing her handful of Black Keys.

Shirou sighed in irritation while tracing two sets of Black Keys for himself. They weren't his favorite weapons, but they were working. Two more of the aerial soldiers broke off their attacks and dove for Shirou and Ciel. Each of them threw a set of Black keys at the pair but to Ciel's surprise both managed to evade them.

Calling forth replacements she charged at one of the soldiers who by now hand landed in front of them and were drawing weapons from their lower backs. The two then stood ready before them, each with large metal object in their hands which created…

 _Lightsabers?!_

Shirou's ability didn't seem to work on the swords being wielded against them but the Black Keys were effective in blocking attacks from them. The swords were purely technological so unfortunately he couldn't trace them.

 _Oh I want one of those so bad!_

They weren't actual Lightsabers. They looked more like regular swords, but with blades made out of energy, and the hilts were much bulkier than the iconic sci-fi weapons Shirou couldn't help but compare them too.

But as Shirou engaged his opponent in melee combat, he couldn't believe what was happening. His opponent was a young woman, probably barely out of her teens. But she was able to fight him on equal terms even with his magic circuits reinforcing his strength and speed.

 _How the hell is she doing that?!_

A quick glance at Ciel showed that she too had her work cut out for her. Her own opponent also fighting on equal ground to her. But it didn't take very long before both Shirou and Ciel were able to defeat and finish off their opponents. However the two were able to compete with them didn't help them to overcome the experience gap.

A moment later there was a bright flash in the sky and another spacequake like explosion which threw Shirou and Ciel down to the ground. Shirou rolled over to Ciel and held out his hand to to block the dust and debris which was pelting them.

"Rho Aias!"

* * *

"Ow ow ow ow! Damn it Shirou! Be careful!" Ciel complained as Shirou plucked bits of rock and other debris from her back.

"Oh suck it up. You weren't any gentler with me!"

"You're a man! I'm a delicate young woman… OW! STOP IT!"

Kotori meanwhile sat across the dining table from the two with a thoughtful look in her red eyes. "So after you two survived the spacequake. You found a woman in the middle of the crater and then fought and killed a bunch of soldiers with her? Just like that?"

"That about sums it up…" groaned Ciel through clenched teeth as Shirou pulled something else out of her back.

"And then when she vanished there was another, but smaller spacequake?" asked Kotori.

"I'm not sure if it was a proper spacequake. But… It did all this to us…" answered Shirou while gesturing to his bandaged torso and the many wounds in Ciel's back.

Kotori nodded along while processing the information, "What was she like? The girl you found."

Shirou and Ciel both took a moment to recall their experiences.

Shirou spoke up first, "She was very fast…"

Then Ciel spoke up, "She was very strong…"

Kotori looked between them for a long moment and their eyes fell on her adoptive father while he seemed stuck trying to find the right words for his thoughts.

"She looked sad…" he finally articulated with a somber tone.

Kotori nodded and quickly changed the subject, "So what about those soldiers you fought?" the twin tailed girl asked while unwrapping a lollipop.

"Let's not discuss that Kotori-chan…" Ciel firmly stated.

"Why? Did you kill them all?" she asked nonchalantly and then put the lollipop into her mouth.

"Kotori!" Ciel and Shirou both blutered together.

"What? If you got them all then none of them will be able to report back that they got their asses kicked by a Magus and an Executor, and that way nobody will come knocking on our door to ask questions."

Shirou rolled his eyes while Ciel glared at him to ask where the hell a fourteen year old girl would become so ruthless.

"Don't give me that look Ciel. She's her mother's daughter when it comes to things like this."

Kotori smiled innocently while putting the lollipop into her mouth, "Those are the rules of our world aren't they? To protect our secrets by any and all means necessary."

Shirou sighed heavily at that while applying bandages to Ciel's injuries. "Yes they are. I just wish you wouldn't sound so casual about it."

"It is what it is. Besides, if I ever had to show off my powers… well-"

"Kotori-chan… Would you mind putting the first aid kit away and showing Ciel where she can get cleaned up? I'm going to get dinner started before your aunt shows up."

"Remember that you said we could have burgers tonight!" Kotori cheerfully exclaimed.

"Yes. I also promised curry for Ciel."

"Mmmm… Curry…. Now I want some of that too…" Kotori said with her mouth watering slightly.

"No! The curry is MINE!" roared the bluenette.

"Whoa… Alright. If you want it _that_ bad…"

Shirou chuckled while he started washing his hands at the kitchen sink. "Ciel's is to curry what Kotori is to lollipops. Don't ever get between them."

 _Damn it all… I really don't want Kotori getting anywhere near anything to do with mages. Or whatever that was today. I want nothing more to do with it. I wash my hands of it. Even if the better part of me demands I do everything in my power to keep that girl from ever again looking so sad..._

A short while later Ciel and Kotori returned to the living room, Ciel then asked to borrow a phone which Kotori was only too happy to provide. Ciel dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Shiki? Yes, It's me," she said while looking to Shirou, her eyes silently pleading for moral support.

Shirou took a deep breath and gave Ciel an encouraging smile and a thumbs up while she continued on the phone.

"Well… Yes… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you both worry. Something came up… _Will you just shut up and let me explain already?!_ Thank you! I had some business in Fuyuki today. No Shiki. I don't have to tell you where and when I'm going anywhere! Remember we talked about us all having 'me time' where the others wouldn't be involved? Yes that's right. You do remember. Good boy. Anyway, the spacequake happened and there's no train back… Yes I'm fine. I wasn't seriously hurt… Yes I'm being taken care of… No I'm not in a hospital..."

Shirou winced in sympathy. Her conversation reminded him so much of many of his own conversation with his late wife.

"I'm at the Emiya's house. I'm going to be staying here… I don't know for how long. Until this mess we're in is sorted out. No I don't know how long it- What?! How could you think that much less say it?! Shirou is my brother! Rin was my sister!"

After a moment of silence Ciel pulled the phone away from her ear. Nonsensical yelling could be heard from the other end of the phone. "He's mad…" she said to the room while covering the phone with her hand.

Shirou stepped out of his kitchen and gestured to Ciel for the phone. She looked at him hesitantly for a moment before smirking and and then handed him over the phone.

"Tohno? It's Shirou Emiya," he said in a hard but calm voice.

There was audible yelling from the phone while Shirou held it away from his ear for a moment and then put it back to his ear, "Tohno… I've had a really bad day today so I want you to listen to my voice right now. Do I sound like I'm in the mood for this childishness? If you have a problem with me. You talk to me about it. So go ahead and talk, but choose your words wisely..."

Shirou held the phone away from his ear for another long moment and then put it back to his ear, "What did you just say to me? Of course I'm not listening to you... Because when you talk like that your excessive stupidity hurts my head you _**idiot**_."

Shirou again held the phone away from his ear and sighed with exasperation while Ciel and Kotori snickered at him.

"Shouldn't you be dealing with him instead of pops?" asked Kotori.

Ciel turned to the young red haired girl and smiled at her, "I could. But this is a lot more fun. You should see them when they're in a room together. People pay money for professionals to make them laugh less than those two made your mother and I laugh."

"How did the four of you ever get anything done together?" Kotori wondered.

"Good question… Honestly, for whatever reason, they can't stand each other. But when it came down to it, they always seemed to be able to set it aside when they had to. Honestly it's a little frightening what they can accomplish when they work together."

Shiou held the phone away from his face and yelled into the microphone, "What are you a brat now?! I can no longer deal with an idiot and brat like you! At least decide on one _**numbskull!**_ "

 _Damn it… Now I know for sure where_ _ **he**_ _got his charming disposition from... It had to have come from being forced to put up with Shiki Tohno. But then again… I can't help help but wonder if this was how_ _ **he**_ _felt when_ _ **he**_ _was dealing with_ _ **me**_ _._

Kotori and Ciel started laughing uncontrollably as the two exchanged increasingly harsh banter over the phone.

* * *

Dinner in the Emiya house was the usual affair. Taiga was ecstatic to see Ciel. And a happy Tiger was always a welcome sight. It meant that whatever revenge she was plotting on Shirou would be put on hold for the sake of entertaining Ciel. But there was also the possibility that she might ramp up her plans for the purpose of entertaining their guest… Shirou decided to remain on high alert.

"Shirou… I make my curry exactly the same way you do. Why does yours taste so much better?!" she demanded to know.

"Quality of the ingredients. You just have to learn how to pick the right things," he explained.

"It's been awhile since we've had the curry monster over. Does this mean we'll be seeing you more often Ciel?" Taiga enquired.

Ciel couldn't keep herself from giggling at the comment, "Yes you will. I thought my business here would only take a day to conclude, but it seems I'll have to stay longer. But since my hotel only had the room for the night, Shirou was kind enough to invite me to stay."

"Ahh. So this wasn't just a social call. That's a shame. Shirou rarely has any pretty girls over anymore so I thought maybe he was finally looking to get back onto the market..."

Ciel and Kotori started laughing in a soft voice behind their hands while watching Shirou's embarrassed face.

"Fuji-nee… We've talked about this. I happen to have set a locks in the shed I could install tonight."

"Shirou's so easy to screw with that it's almost no fun. But his reactions balance that out and make it a ton of fun!" Ciel exclaimed while patting the tall copper haired man on the shoulder playfully.

"Don't encourage her Ciel…"

Kotori meanwhile snapped her fingers and started digging in her pocket for her phone. "That reminds me! Since Aunt Tiger and Ciel are both here, maybe you two can help me with this!"

"What is it Kotori-chan?" asked Taiga. Ciel meanwhile looked up from her plate, a mouthful of curry and a curious eye.

Kotori fished out her phone and started swiping through it while explaining, "Well… Tobiichi and I were talking at lunch today. She told me about her guardian. She seems like a very nice lady..." when she found the picture Tobiichi had sent her she first showed it to Taiga who widened her eyes in approval. Apparently already catching on.

Kotori then showed it to Ciel who then choked on her curry. After a moment to clear her throat with the help of Shirou patting her back and giving her water she looked over at Kotori. "Are you serious? Have you met your father?"

"Will anyone be letting me in on this conversation? Or is it just for children?" he snarked.

Kotori then held out her phone to him with a cheesy grin on her face. "This is what we're talking about," she said with a firm nod.

Shirou looked at the image of the woman. She had long black hair tied up in a ponytail behind her head with some loose bangs at the front, and matching eyes. There wasn't much else that really stood out about her to him. "What about her?"

"What do you think of her?" asked Kotori.

 _I'm so confused right now… What the hell is going on here?_

"I don't know her. Why would I think anything of her?"

All three girls in the room simultaneously facepalmed. "He's so dense…" they each said in unison.

Kotori recovered first and angrily glared at her father. "Pops… Seriously? Try telling me if you think she's pretty or not!"

Shirou raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she held out her phone to him one more time with the picture on display. "I suppose she is…"

"You suppose she is?" said Taiga while pulling her face up to glare hopelessly at Shirou.

"Shirou… She's _very_ pretty," added Ciel.

"Alright! Alright! She's **VERY pretty.** Could someone tell me what the point is now?" he sighed with exasperation.

Kotori decided to put it bluntly for him, "I want you to meet her. Invite her and Tobiichi over for dinner or something!"

"You just want me to meet her? If you want me to meet your friend's Guardian isn't parent's day the time for that sort of thing?" Shirou asked, drawing angry glares from Ciel, Taiga, and Kotori.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked with a sweat building up on his face as he glanced about the three of them.

Kotori sighed and put her hands up in resignation. "Could someone spell it out for him? I don't think I can make this anymore obvious even if I showed him a documentary on the subject!"

Taiga and Ciel looked at each other and exchanged silent hand signals before Ciel gestured for Taiga to go first.

Taiga then cleared her throat and began, "Shirou. I know it's been a while for you. So I'll start with the basics…" she then raised a single finger on her left hand for illustration. "You're a good looking single man," she then raised a finger on her right hand and held it beside her left. "She's a good looking single woman…" she then started bringing the tips of her fingers together as she went on speaking, "Sometimes when two single people meet, things happen between them," she said while pushing the two fingers together for emphasis. "Are you catching my drift yet?"

Shirou stared dumbly at her.

Ciel glared at him, "You can't be serious Shirou… I refuse to believe you are this dense!"

Shirou shook his head, "No. I get what you're saying. You're trying to set me up with this woman. I'm not interested."

"How can you not be interested?!" Taiga snapped at him while taking Kotori's phone and shoving it in his face, "Look at her! She's gorgeous!"

"I'm sure she's very nice, and very attractive. I'm just not interested in dating. Why do we have to debate this?" he asked with a flat tone. An island of calm amidst a sea of raging females.

Taiga groaned with exasperation. "Shirou. Nobody is asking you to marry this woman! All we're asking you to do is meet her. Cook her something nice to eat. Meet your daughter's best friend. Show her and this woman who takes care of her a good time."

Ciel nodded in agreement with Taiga, "All you have to do is cook for her. Something you enjoy doing anyway. Your daughter can have her best friend over at her house for a social occasion. Her Guardian…" Ciel stopped and looked at Kotori for a moment, "What's her name anyway?"

"Uhh… Hang on…" Kotori took her phone back from Taiga and looked at the message she got from Tobiichi. "Ryouko Kusakabe."

"Right… So yes Shirou. All anyone's asking you to do is meet this Kusakabe person. And do something for her which you do every night anyway. You might like her. You might not. She might like you. She might not. Who cares? Just meet the woman! What exactly do you have to lose?"

"Kotori getting excited about playing matchmaker for her father. I understand. Taiga doing the same, I also understand. But you Ciel? You know very well how complicated my life is right now, and how much, _stress,_ I have at work these days. And how much more stressful and complicated it's going to be getting. This really isn't a good time for me to be 'putting myself back on the market' or whatever you kids call it these days."

Taiga shook her finger at Shirou. "Work is work. That's life Shirou. I know for a fact that you can free up an evening to have dinner with this woman and her ward. We'll all pitch in to help you with whatever you need. Ciel and I can go out for the evening and entertain ourselves. We'll have a great time and won't be inconvenienced in the slightest. If you won't do it for yourself do it for us. Do it for Kotori. Besides. You might actually like her. And if you do, spending her time with her will be the best thing for relieving work related stress."

"Yes yes! Listen to the wise Tiger!" Kotori said with all the enthusiasm she could muster.

Shirou found Ciel nodding along with them as well and sighed in resignation. "You call her wise, but you have no idea that she's probably quoting a manga and not her own experience. When's the last time _you've_ been on a date Fuji-nee?"

"Pfft. We're not talking about me," she said with a wave of her hand.

"No. I'm actually interested. Don't meddle in my love life unless you want me to meddle in yours,"

"Kotori-chan?" Taiga asked while looking at said girl, "Does she have a brother?"

Kotori shrugged, "I don't know. But if she does, I'll make sure you get first dibs!"

Shirou kept staring at Taiga in the meanwhile, "You haven't answered me Fuji-nee. When was the last time you were ever out on a date?"

Taiga heaved a heavy sigh, "I can't remember… But it doesn't matter! We're not talking about me! If you agree to this I'll forgive you for what you said this morning! And after all the effort Kotori-chan has put into this, if you don't agree, _we_ will _never_ forgive you!"

Kotori and Taiga each gave Shirou that glare. The one that said they were both thinking the same exact thing. Ways in which they _knew_ they could make his life miserable.

 _Shit…_

Shirou groaned in resignation, "Fine… I agree."

Kotori smirked up at Taiga who in turn grinned back at the younger girl. "Great Pops! How about this Saturday?"

Shirou palmed his face, "The sooner I get this over with, the… the...AAA-CHOOO!… The better..." Shirou reached for a napkin and started cleaning up his hand from the sneeze.

"Someone must be talking about him…" Kotori said with a knowing smirk while reading a message on her phone.

Taiga leaned over to look and Kotori turned the phone so she could see. The Tiger of Fuyuki then started clapping excitedly, "Tobiichi says 'She agreed' yay!"

* * *

After dinner, Kotori sat up on her bed with her phone's headset in her ear, textbooks around her as she multitasked between her homework, thaumaturgical studies, and her phone conversation.

"So what happened? All you said was 'She agreed' but I gotta know how that all went down!" Kotori said happily.

Tobiichi meanwhile was sitting in front of table which was in a similar state of organized chaos with text books and loose paper strewn about.

"Is that your friend on the phone?" Kotori heard a voice in the distance behind Tobiichi ask.

"Yes Ryouko. It is," Tobiichi answered her.

"Origami finally has a friend! I can die happy now! Tell her I can't wait to meet her!"

"She says-" stated Tobiichi.

"I heard her. Wait. Where are you? I thought you lived alone?" Kotori enquired with surprised curiosity.

"That is unimportant. To answer your question. It was not easy at first…"

* * *

Origami Tobiichi sat in Ryouko Kusakabe's office at the base. Around them were several of Ryouko's subordinates with various items of paperwork for Ryouko's-

" _Wait. You can actually go onto the base and see her? You're there right now aren't you?! You're actually allowed to go there? That's so cool! But how did she get you permission?" asked Kotori._

" _It is unimportant." replied Tobiichi._

" _So that's where you went after the spacequake. I'm so jealous! There must be so much cool stuff over there!"_

" _May I continue now?"_

" _Yeah…. Sorry. I'll stay quiet until you finish. Promise," said Kotori._

"So Origami? You had something you wanted to discuss with me?" asked Ryouko while adjusting her hair out of her eyes to look at her ward.

"It can wait. Perhaps now is not the best time, it is a personal matter," Tobiichi replied in her usual monotone.

"Now might be the only time I have a spare minute for you after what happened today," she grimly stated.

"Very well…" Tobiichi stated while pulling out her phone and swiping to the issue. "First I would like to know your opinion of this man," she said while holding the phone out to her guardian.

The older woman took the phone and studied the image for a moment. "This better not be your boyfriend Origami. He looks way too old for you..." she said while holding the photo out to her young female subordinates who were all curiously attempting to peek.

" **WOW! WHAT A HUNK!"** the women all replied in unison.

"Not the response I was looking for…" she said with disappointment at them while setting down the phone.

 _Kotori laughed, "She thought my pops was your boyfriend?! Hahaha!"_

 _Tobiichi said nothing on that subject, she simply continued telling her story._

"You misunderstand," Tobiichi began explaining, "His name is Shirou Emiya. He is the adoptive father of my kōhai and friend, Kotori Emiya."

"That's nice but what does- Wait. Friend? Origami! You made a friend?!" Ryouko said gleefully.

"Yes."

"That's _great_! But then why are you showing me a picture of her father?"

"I think she's trying to fix you up with him Captain..." one of the women stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ryouko looked back to her ward, asking with her eyes if this is true. Tobiichi in turn nodded that it was. "Indeed. Emiya and I were talking during the lunch break and she suggested the idea that you and I should have dinner with them in their home. I told her I would suggest it to you while she suggests the same to her father."

Ryouko then picked the phone back up so she could look at the picture again in light of this new information. "I don't know Origami… I'm just coming out of a relationship."

"You went on three dates and spent a total of four hours and twelve minutes with him," Tobiichi pointed out, "You spend more time than that reading automotive magazines... Per day."

 _Kotori started laughing hysterically, "Nice one senpai!"_

" _It was a simple statement of fact…" she replied with no feeling behind her words._

Tobiichi's observations drew snickers from the other female soldiers in the room.

"You know Origami. If you keep being so precise, someone might think you're a stalker," observed Ryouko.

"Understood. So what shall I give as your answer?"

Ryouko sighed and fell back into her seat while studying the picture of Shirou Emiya, "What do you know about him?"

"He is an alumni of the school I attend. He then went on to study in London. After that he traveled extensively while doing volunteer work with various humanitarian aid agencies around the world. His wife was killed in a spacialquake three years ago. Presently, he has settled down here in Fuyuki to raise his daughter. I am told he works. But I am uncertain as to the nature of his work. His hobbies include Kyudo, Kendo, tinkering with machines, performing maintenance on his home, and cooking."

"Well… He is very good looking. I'll give him that. But I don't know if he's really what I'm looking for…."

One of the female soldiers then quickly interjected, "He's well educated. He likes to help people in need. He's a responsible parent. He's got a job. He does the housework. He's disciplined. He's physically fit... He **cooks**! And he's **good looking**!" the woman then drew a sharp breath after listing off Shirou Emiya's positive attributes. "If he's not what you're looking for then don't you think you might be setting your standards a little too high Captain?"

Ryouko shook her head with a small sigh of disappointment, "He's a widower… That might make things complicated…"

"Sounds like an excuse to me…" the female soldier said aloud to which the room nodded along.

"Alright Origami… Tell your friend I agree. I guess I can use my one day off for this. Provided I still get to have it off..."

* * *

"So. Saturday then? You're both alright with that?" Kotori asked over the phone.

"Yes. That should be fine. Unless an emergency happens we will be able to attend," answered Tobiichi.

"Quick question then. Is there anything you two don't like to eat? Just so I can tell pops not to cook that."

Tobiichi was silent for a long moment before responding, "No. We have no allergies, and no particular distastes worth mentioning."

"Good to know… I'll see you at school tomorrow then. Have a good night senpai!"

"Yes. Good night Emiya."

Kotori hung up the phone after that and started going through one of her books.

 _Math homework... easy. Alchemy... not so much. Even though I'll probably never be able to make any of this stuff work I still like to study it. These books belonged to, well, I guess I'll call her my grandmother. Then to my… other… aunt. Pops doesn't really like to talk about what happened back then but when I mentioned I was curious about these books he didn't have a problem with me reading them._

 _The books aren't all my parents salvaged from the Einzbern castle, but right now, they're the only things that are actually useful. The more I read about Alchemy though, honestly, the more disturbed I become by what I know of the Einzbern family. But I really don't want to think about this now…_

 _Let's see if I can pull this off… Pops has plenty of wires in the- Oh wait. It has to be a noble metal? What's that mean exactly?_

Kotori took up her phone again and started searching the internet for the term.

 _Ahhh crap… How am I supposed to get my hands on any of this?_

Kotori began another search looking for the materials she'd need. Then she growled to herself as she started calculating.

 _Twelve thousand yen for one foot of gold wire! There has to be a solution within my reach..._

 _Maybe… Yes! Silver wire. That's something I could afford plenty of on just my allowance. Provided I don't go crazy with it._

Kotori sat back in her bed and hugged the tome she'd been reading tightly to her chest. "That's one problem solved. Now back to the really boring stuff…"

Kotori opened up her math textbook and resumed solving the embarrassingly simple problems it contained.

 _If school wasn't so much fun I'd die of boredom..._

* * *

Meanwhile Shioru and Ciel were having tea in the living room while going through the files she'd brought him. He has also brought out of all Rin's notes on the spacequakes and other related topics for comparison.

"So we know those poor bastards were from Deus Ex Machina Industries. What do we know about this company? Besides all the headlines they make?"

"Well…" Ciel took a moment to gather her thoughts before taking Shirou through them, "They're based in England. Which I actually find rather bold. They're in the backyard of the Mage's Association. As a rule of thumb, Mages are traditionalists. They don't use technology and frown on anyone who does. But their managing director, Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott, is very much into technology."

"His name is certainly enough of a mouthful for him to be a magus…" remarked Shirou with a roll of his eyes.

He then flipped through the file until he found the one on the man in question. "Knighted by the King for his scientific achievements and generous charitable contributions. He funds scholarships around the world and then hires the students to work for his company. DEM branches around the world give hiring priority and on the job training to the homeless and long time unemployed. DEM Industries also has special internships and training programs for underprivileged youths in every country which they operate in. He actually seems like a pretty decent guy…

Ciel scoffed at the thought, "Yeah. He only _seems_ like it. Until you dig a little deeper," she said while refilling her tea cup. "Go ahead and read on. See if you can see between the lines."

Shirou nodded and started going through the pages Ciel had provided and the notes Rin had left on the same subject.

 _According to what Rin mentions about him in her notes, he's a first rate magus. Tenth generation. Specializing in Alchemy and Spiritual Evocation. Water and Wind affinity… This is one long list, is there anything this man hasn't mastered? He's also unique among mages in that he's educated in the fields of science and technology. He's studied chemical, biological, electrical, and mechanical engineering..._

 _That's probably why he split with the clock tower. If he wanted to work with technology and magecraft, the Clocktower would hold him back more than they would help him… Over the years he's gone on to become one of the wealthiest people in the world. But he doesn't live in luxury. He donates most of his income to charities and reinvests the rest into other projects... But why?_

 _Sir Isaac Westcott also has a reputation as an antisocial recluse. He snubs invitations to social functions with heads of state and other rich and famous individuals and prefers to mingle with fellow academics and employees. He also attends many charity functions every year. And every one of them he helps to fund from his own pocket. I'm surprised he attended his own Knighting ceremony..._

"This man isn't just a magus, if you only look at this, he's a saint and a revolutionary…" Shirou said with a surprised tone of voice. "But if we find out his parents were killed in an alley somewhere, we should start looking for a cave near his house," he added flatly.

Ciel sighed at that, "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist… Wrong movie Shirou. Why he stopped working with Rin… It seems the good and charitable Sir Isaac, has earned himself a Sealing Designation. He's a Philosopher."

"He isn't a playboy as far as I can tell, and he doesn't make metal suits for every day of the week. Despite his knowledge of metallurgy. He also doesn't go to big hollywood parties," Shirou's eyes perked up in interest after his comment, "He's still doing the research that got him the Sealing Designation, which means he's considered a threat to the secrets of thaumaturgy."

Ciel nodded, "After a few drinks, Rin once told me you were a man of iron. That's why I made you that outfit with the body armor. Then of course you both freaked out when you saw it and I was afraid my days of designing superhero costumes were over before they started… It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, I was almost totally crushed!"

"That's what _she_ said…"

Ciel rolled her eyes, "I walked right into that one didn't I?"

"Mhmm…"

Ciel shook her head, "But anyway… Getting back on track... The fact that he's still at large means the association has tried and failed to deal with him. They must have failed so spectacularly that they consider trying again to be a bigger threat to their secrecy than allowing him to continue his work."

Shirou nodded his understanding, "...And being the highly intelligent man that he is, everything he does has to raise the bar. So DEM Industries isn't just a business for him. He's used it, and his public image, to create the perfect place to hide. Right out in plain sight. And according to this, DEM Headquarters is in a massive corporate tower, which sits in full view of the clock tower itself. A place where he can comfortably wave his middle finger in their pompous faces with complete and utter impunity… You know… if I didn't know you were about to tell me something really disturbing... I might already be updating my CV so I can ask him for a job…"

Ciel's eyes narrowed and hardened, "Better brace yourself then…"

Meanwhile… Kotori was going to the kitchen to get herself something to drink but couldn't help eavesdropping on what Ciel started explaining.

* * *

At school the next morning Kotori was staring into her phone and the three choices her game had presented her with. She studied her options with the same intensity she put into everything in her life.

"Kotori-chan? What's bothering you today? If it's a boy I'll kill him for you. I can make it look like an accident," the text on screen read.

 _Option one… "He hasn't done anything! Please don't kill him!"_

 _Option two… "Violence won't solve this problem."_

 _Option three… "Can I help?"_

 _Option two is probably the safest choice…_

"Kotori-chan… I'm disappointed. If violence doesn't solve your problems, then you're just not using enough of it," said the text on the screen with a close up of the 'big sister' avatar's vacant yandere eyes.

 _Heh… Wise words Onee-sama._

"Hey Emiya. Something bothering you?" asked Tonomachi from the seat ahead of her.

"Yes. You. Could you take yourself out back and rough yourself up a little? Onee-sama would do it herself but she's already being watched by the police," she said while holding up her phone to show the image of her character's frightening eyes.

"Playing Date A Live with a yandere character is starting to mess with your mind… Those girls are scary…"

"No more than having to look at that porcupine you have glued to your head all the time. If you want some advice, throw out the gel. You'd probably look better going natural," said Kotori while looking at her phone instead of him.

"The other you said the same thing," he said while pointing at his phone. "Maybe I'll give it a try."

Kotori reached out and smacked him across the back of his head.

"Owww! Damn it Emiya! Can't you just take it as a compliment?!"

"If it feels insulting, it is insulting…" she mumbled while sitting back down to look at her phone again.

"Hit him again! Harder! But use an ax!" read the text on the screen with a picture of her dark haired yandere 'big sister' character.

"See. At least she gets me," she said while holding up the phone for Tonomachi to see the text.

Tonomachi stood up and sat back down reversely in his chair so he could fully face her. "Seriously Emiya. What's with you today? Even your comebacks have no bite."

"Mind your own business Tonomachi. Or else I'll send Onee-sama to kill your little fake Kotori."

"Yeah. I can just start a new game. But I won't leave you alone until you tell me what's bothering you. I'll sit like this the whole day. Through class. I don't care."

Kotori reached out as if she were about to slap him but stopped short of his forehead when she saw he wasn't even flinching. Then she instead opted to flick him in the forehead with her middle finger. "Baka. I'm not a character trope. Mind your own business. You've still got a long way to go to figure out how to get to my dere side," she said while sitting back to resume playing and waiting for class to begin. "But thanks for the concern," she added half heartedly.

When she saw he put his chin down on her desk and that he really wasn't going to turn back around she kicked the bottom of her desk hard enough to make him sit back up. "Owwww!" he moaned while holding his chin. "Can't you ever just once drop the ring of fire you keep up around yourself and let someone in for even a moment?"

 _Ring of fire he says… I wonder if he's smarter than he looks? Or if he's just exactly as dumb as he looks?_

There was, for the briefest of moments, a pained expression on Kotori's face which didn't go unnoticed by Tonomachi. It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, but before he could remark on it, she spoke again and cut him off completely.

"I do let people in. Just not you. So mind your business," she demanded, "Or try again and feel the burn!" she quickly added with a sadistic grin.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shirou and Ciel sat down at another cafe in New City. This one was directly across the street and in plain sight of the local DEM offices. While sipping tea and making casual conversation with each other they were also each taking careful note of several men and women in business suits watching them.

It was a silent game they were all forced to participate in. Each side watching and pretending not to notice the other while also pretending to be oblivious to the fact that everyone was perfectly aware of each other.

Shirou and Ciel intentionally had a waiter set a third place at their table, with a glass of water, cutlery. They had also placed the file Ciel had brought them and set it on top of the empty plate.

 _Let's see how long it takes before they make a decision on what to do about us. I don't think we could extend them a more obvious invitation without putting it in writing for them._

It took about an hour, but their invitation seemed to have been accepted when an older man accompanied by two other men in suits emerged from the front door of the DEM branch and crossed the street. His eyes locked on Shiou and Ciel while they in turn maintained their conversation with each other, offering no clues that they were aware of his approach.

It wasn't until he was bowing beside their table and introducing himself that Shirou and Ciel paid him any real attention. His bodyguards meanwhile were standing on the sidewalk a few meters away from the three of them as they all exchanged introductions.

"My name is Masaomi Mikimoto, branch manager for DEM Industries."

"Shirou Emiya."

"Ciel"

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, but as you can imagine I am a very busy man," he said while seating himself and looking at the folder set on his plate. "May I presume everything is here?"

Ciel and Shirou both nodded.

"I see. I understand you had a misunderstanding with some of our sales associates and they caused you some trouble?"

"I assure you Mikimoto-san. They gave us no trouble at all," remarked Ciel, sounding as innocent and nun-like as she could possibly be while making that double entendre.

"Hmm… Yes. I understand," he said while skimming the folder. "It seems there was a miscommunication between myself and one of my junior executives which lead to all this confusion. I would like to offer my deepest apologies for the inconvenience. Be assured that this is not how we do business and that the persons responsible for the mix ups will be severely reprimanded."

Shirou and Ciel both nodded to the man without saying anything.

Mikimoto then looked Shirou in the eyes, "I have been asked by the Managing Director to convey his own apology to you for this incident. He wishes to convey to you that the working relationship he had with your late wife has not be forgotten, and that he holds you in equally high esteem, Emiya-san. He would never seek to impede your good works in any way shape or form."

Shirou bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, "I thank you for that. I hope this gesture makes everything perfectly clear?"

"It does. Emiya-san. Is there anything you would like me to pass on to the Managing Director?"

Shirou gave a slow nod, "Please convey to him my best regards and my sincerest wish that any future dealings we may have can be amicably resolved. As he knows of my good works, I also know of his good works," said Shirou while gesturing to the folder.

"I will ensure he gets the message. Please allow us to pick up your bill, it is the least I can do," said Mikimoto while rising from his seat, bowing for a moment and then making an un-hasty departure from the cafe.

Shirou and Ciel looked at each other and nodded before vacating the cafe themselves.

"It's their move now…" said Ciel with a firm voice.

"I'm glad you changed your mind about helping me with this Ciel," he said while mustering up a smalls mile.

"Family comes first. I'll deal with the Church later. Next time remind me to find some kind of vaccination for your "hero complex" because it's damned infectious..." she grumbled half heartedly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:  
**

Thank you all once again for your overwhelming support! I am blown away by how much this story is being enjoyed!

Part of the fun I have with writing fictions like these, is the re-imagining of everything. I try to keep the characters recognizable, but as I did with Star Wars Episode I: The Familiar of Zero, I try to make the characters more realistic. Date A Live, like Familiar of Zero, is a harem comedy at heart, and integrating that into the Fate Universe in a way that pays homage to the source material, but allows it to work within the story I'm telling isn't always easy. But your reviews and PMs complimenting me on my execution of this crossover have been very inspiring and uplifting!

As I'm sure everyone knows, the mechanics of the Nasuverse aren't always easy to figure out or work with. So if I make mistakes with my understanding of how magecraft actually works, I hope you'll point them out without using your Noble Phantasms on me!

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

It was lunch time once again and Kotori, as she did everyday since the two first met, sat at a table with Origami Tobiichi to have their lunch. Only this time, Kotori wasn't feeling particularly hungry. Her mind instead on the conversation she overheard between her father and Ciel.

"I've never seen you like this Emiya. Do you want to talk about it?" asked Tobiichi in a soft voice.

Kotori's first instinct was to deflect, but as she was about to open her mouth to do exactly that her eyes met with her friend's bright blues and then she sighed and broke the eye contact to instead focus on a stain she spotted on the table.

"It's sort of stupid…" the red haired girl muttered.

"I'll be the judge of that," answered Tobiichi.

Kotori lifted her cherry red eyes to make eye contact with her friend while gathering her thoughts. "If you knew that there was something horrible happening to someone, somewhere… And you also knew you had the power to make it stop, but you didn't because you also knew that if you did, you would cause even more trouble later? How could you reconcile that?"

Tobiichi studied Kotori for a long, long, very long, moment.

"Without knowing the specifics, I don't know if I can advise you properly."

Kotori slowly nodded her acknowledgement while allowing her words to sink in and process. "Last night I had a dream about what happened. Back then, you know what I mean."

Tobiichi actually flinched at Kotori's words but said nothing. Kotori couldn't stand the sight of her friend looking so hurt and quickly averted her gaze. "I'm sorry… I know we don't talk about that,"

"If there is something of relevance in this subject, then I might be the only person with whom you could. So continue…" she said in a soft, and unmistakably pained voice.

Kotori just took a deep breath, bit the bullet, and said what was on her mind, "The thing about this dream was. It didn't actually happen. At least not the way I remember it happening. I remember so little about what actually happened… My mom used to tell me that in the absence of any real memories of what actually happened, my mind would just make up whatever it wanted to fill in the blanks."

Tobiichi scoffed at the thought, "I've heard the same thing from the quote-unquote 'professionals' I had been forcefully subjected to for months and years after that day. I'll tell you what I told them. The things we don't want to remember we will not discuss. Forcing it out of us, forcing us to relive it, is just cruel. For me, the solution was simple. If I couldn't avenge what happened, I would much rather just leave it in the past."

Kotori perked up at her choice of words, "Avenge what happened? Wasn't the cause of it an accident? Something related to spacequake damage from earlier in the day?"

"That's what they say… But I know what I saw!" she spat through clenched teeth.

Tobiichi tensed up and balled her fists hard enough that Kotori was afraid she'd draw blood and quickly moved to put her hands over her older friend's fists in a soothing gesture.

"I'm sorry senpai. I know I'm torturing myself by thinking about it… I had no right to drag you back in with me… Will you forgive me?"

Kotori started holding her friend's hands just a bit tighter until she felt the fists relax.

Tobiichi then took a hold of Kotori's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze back. "Nothing to forgive. I'm not upset with you Emiya… May I just ask you one question? What was the point you were trying to make? What is it that's troubling you?"

Kotori took a deep breath and tried her best to explain without the specifics but found herself falling short, "I have an opportunity to do something. Something like what my pops does. It's stupid, but I want to be like him. You know? I want to help people. But I'm worried that if I fail, he'll be upset with me. I'll let him down. And I'll be letting myself down too."

"We all have something we aspire to be. Like you with your father, I look up to Ryouko and aspire to be like her. Having a role-model to emulate is normal for everyone. And your goal is nothing to feel embarrassed about,

Let me just preface what I'm going to say by emphasizing how I will be _**very**_ upset if this opportunity you speak of places you in any sort of danger… Having said that. I think you should do what you feel compelled to do. You might succeed, you might not. But I think you would regret not trying more than any potential consequences which may come from trying and failing. One thing Ryouko has taught me is that as long as you're able to learn from your mistakes, and are willing to keep trying as many times as it takes, then there is nothing to fear from failure, but instead, there is something to actually be gained from it."

Kotori blinked a few times at the silver haired girl before her, a mesmerized glare in her eyes. "Wow senpai. That's… Just wow. I never would have thought of it that way."

Tobiichi shrugged, "Before I met Ryouko, I never would have either. I hope it helps you make a decision."

"It does. And now I really can't wait to meet her. She must be so amazing!"

Tobiichi mustered up a small smile at the more pleasant direction the conversation was moving in. "From what I know of your father now, I am certain that-"

Before she could finish her sentence the city's sirens began to blare, alerting the population of of an impending spacequake.

"Another one?!" said Kotori while standing up and slapping her hands down onto the table.

* * *

Kotori discreetly slipped away from the group of students as they moved in an orderly fashion from the school to the shelter. Once she find a hiding place to duck into while waiting for the streets to clear. The last thing she needed was for one of the teachers or her classmates to come out and find her. By the time anyone realizes she's not there the shelter will already be sealed for the duration.

While she waited she started killing time by checking the app which would show her father's current location. She sighed with relief to find that he was in a shelter in the Shinto district.

Swiping through her phone to the disaster app. Then her eyes widened at what she saw. The projected danger zone was right where she was standing. The school and everything around her was right in the center of the currently projected danger zone.

 _Oh crap!_

Kotori got onto her feet and ran into the street and up to towards the shelter. By the time she got there, exhausted, out of breath, and panic stricken she was horrified to find that it was already sealed.

With shaky fingers she swiped through the disaster app to see if there was a shelter open near her location. But they were all flagged as being filled and sealed.

 _Alright… Think… Think… THINK!_

She could feel the ambient mana around her being disturbed. The first physical sign of an impending spacequake. At least, the first one which a magus could sense. Then she had a realization, and her anxiety began to subside.

 _Without exception. Spacequakes always happen somewhere along a ley line. If I remember the flow of the ley lines through the city correctly..._

She looked behind her, up to the Mt. Enzou and started visualizing the flow of the ley lines as she remembered them from what her mother had taught her. If her memory was correct, and based on the projected danger zone on her app, the spacequake would happen three kilometers north of where she was standing. Provided the quake wasn't any more powerful than the one before, she reasoned that her location was perfectly safe. But rather than take chances she carefully examined the surrounding area on the disaster app to check the structural security ratings of the buildings around her. To her surprise, it was the school itself that had the highest rating. But to her disappointment, they were all low rated structures.

She moved back towards the school and stood behind the south side of the furthest building away from the projected ground zero. As far as she could determine, this was the safest place to be in the affected area.

It was a long agonizing wait as her mind constantly cycled through her plan, she swiped through her phone dozens of times to recheck the spacequake information, the structural security ratings, and a map of the city where she tried to superimpose her own recollection of the ley lines in case she was wrong with her presumption.

Finally it happened. The air was vibrating, the buildings began to shake and sway with the winds howling. Kotori ducked down and wrapped her arms around her knees as her anxiety returned in full force.

 _Is it too late to change my mind? I don't wanna do this anymore! I love you and I miss you so much! Please don't be mad if I come join you mommy!_

The fear swelled through her until the only way left to express her terror was by screaming so loud that it only sounded like a whisper amidst the howling winds around her.

* * *

Kotori found herself laying fetal position on the ground after coming back into consciousness. The first thing she noticed was that she was covered in loose garbage and debris which had be flying around during the quake.

She slowly stood up while checking herself for any injuries. To her immense relief, she seemed perfectly fine. Kotori reasoned that it was the fear which made her lose consciousness, not anything hitting her in the head. Whatever did hit her, didn't seem to hurt her.

She checked her phone and swiped into the disaster app to see where ground zero was. She blinked at it and then very slowly turned around and started walking to the end of the building she had used for cover.

When she peeked her head around the corner her jaw dropped as she found that ground zero had indeed included about half the school.

 _I guess this means school's out for a while…_

Most of the main building was crumbling, what little remained seemed to be held together by nothing more than the chewing gum which generations of students have discreetly stuck onto the building. By some miracle, the archery dojo remained untouched. She couldn't help but smile at that.

As she stepped out from behind her corner her eyes widened as a wave of purple energy missed by by nothing but the loose hairs of her long twin tails. She then became frozen in fear as a woman with long dark violet hair and matching eyes started walking up to her. She was wearing purple and gold armor with a pink ethereal looking skirt revealing hints of the armored legs beneath it. Then there was the giant sword pointed at her which was the final push she needed to move from shocked to petrified.

"Yet another has come to try and kill me…" the armored woman said.

Kotori shook her head and started shaking while reaching into her pocket where, to her immense relief she found a lollipop. Not a moment after her hands touched the candy treat did she feel the fear pass through and leave her on her next breath.

"I didn't come here to kill you. I wanted to meet you," she said confidently while unwrapping the lollipop and throwing it into her mouth.

 _There's something to be said for self-hypnosis. But this isn't the time to say it…_

"To meet me? Why would you want that? Every single human is out to kill me! Why are you trying to deceive me? Are you stalling for time until the others arrive?!" the woman demanded in an loud emotionless voice.

"Gee… They told me you were strong, and fast, but they forgot to mention you were also dense! Look. My name is Kotori Emiya. And it's exactly like I said. I just came here because I wanted to meet you. You met my father yesterday. Reddish hair, conjures swords out of thin air? He was with his friend Ciel, woman with blue hair, conjures long knives between her fingers. Ring any bells?"

"I recall them. Yes. But you haven't answered my question. Why would a lowly human want to meet me?"

"I'm not just some lowly human! I am a magus! But not only that… I also… I think you and I might be the same. That's why I wanted to meet you badly enough to risk my life by being out here during a spacequake!"

"What do you mean you and I might be the same?" the woman asked while cautiously lowering her sword.

Pleased with her progress, Kotori's lips curled up in a small smile. "That's a long story. It would be easier to just show you. But if I did that, and the wrong people showed up and realized what I am, then they might turn on me too, and unlike you, I really don't know enough about my powers to be able to fight."

"Indeed. The Mecha-mecha squad are persistent and blood thirsty savages. You are wise to avoid fighting them if you can."

"Mecha-mecha?! Did you just say that with a straight face?" asked Kotori with a small giggle.

"Do not make fun of me!" she roared in petulance while stomping her foot on the ground hard enough to crack the cement beneath her.

"Alright… Alright… Sheesh. Anyone ever tell you that you've got one hell of a short temper? Who are the 'mecha-mecha' squad anyway?"

The woman pointed at the sky behind Kotori. "Them. The noisy flying people."

Kotori turned around and squinted her eyes up where the woman pointed.

"Alright… So there really are flying soldiers… Come on, we can hide inside the this building and then figure the rest out as we go!"

Kotori started running and took the taller purple haired woman by the hand and pulled her towards the front door of the still standing school building. "This is reckless! I should go fight them while you escape!"

"And miss my chance to actually talk with you? No way in hell! Not after what I went through to find you!"

* * *

A sort time later, Kotori discreetly peeked out the window to see the soldiers slowly circling the building, searching for any sign of their target. After a moment Kotori sat down with her back to the wall and turned her eyes on the woman seated beside her.

"So when you said you came here just because you wanted to meet me, were you being serious?" the woman asked the smaller red haired girl.

"Yes. I really was."

"Serious serious?" the woman asked again with a softer, and excited tone.

Kotori's eyes widened a little at the sudden shift in her demeanor. "Yes… Serious serious…"

"One hundred percent serious serious?!" the woman asked sounding even more excited.

"Seriously? Yes. One hundred percent… _**seriously.**_ Are you happy yet?"

"Arrrgh! I can't believe I was about to fall for you amateur tricks!" the woman said while getting angry again.

 _I so wish this was like my dating sim… Then I'd have a convenient happiness meter to check and make sure I'm not picking the wrong things to say here..._

Kotori palmed her face and groaned with exasperation. "If you really think I'm your enemy, then why are we both hiding from the 'mecha-mecha' squad out there?!"

"You have a point… This is different. And you are the first person I've ever had a normal conversation with," the woman said with folded arms and her eyes closed thoughtfully.

"Really? I'm the first?"

The woman nodded at her.

"Wow… Well. Then I guess we should start conversing then! Like I said before, my name is Kotori Emiya. What's your name?"

"My name? I don't have one of those."

"How can you not have a name?"

"I don't know… But I suppose I will need one if I want to be able to explore this world the way you do."

"If we're going to have a conversation, I can't just call you sword lady. Besides. My parents once knew a sword lady and I'm not sure they'd appreciate me calling you 'Saber' so I'll just have to make up a name for you if you don't have anything you want me to call you."

"I think I would like that…" the woman answered with a small hint of a smile appearing on her face.

"Alright… Let's see… Good names… I could go through the name generator in Date A Live… But those names are all really dumb… You need something… special…. something… with significance… Ahh! How about I call you Luvia? She was a friend of my mother's and she also had a short fuse..."

The purple haired lady pointed a finger at Kotori and started gathering a purple energy around it. Naïve as Kotori was, she knew a glowing swirling ball of raw pain when she saw it.

 _Whoa… She's mad…_

"Do not think I can't tell when you are trying to make fun of me!"

 _Sorry Luvia-san… Guess mom gets the last laugh on you now. This angry lady thinks your name sucks._

"If you would calm down and let me think for a moment!" she demanded while the angry lady put down her finger and allowed the swirling ball of purple and black death she'd been gathering there to dissipate "How about Tohka?"

"Tohka… I think I like it. Yes. I like it very much! Thank you!" she said with excitement.

 _I'm damn glad she didn't ask what it means… I just named her today's date..._

Kotori sighed with relief. "Alright. Tohka. Now we can talk properly,"

"Yes. I would like that very m-"

Before she could finish her sentence the window shattered and bullets started flying into the room. Tohka was quick to raise her defensive shield before any of the projectiles could bounce back and hurt them.

"Are you alright?" asked Tohka with concern in her voice.

Kotori blinked at the shield around them. "Yeah… I'm totally fine thanks to you!"

A short moment later the bullets stopped and Tohka stopped generating her shield. "I am glad," started Tohka with a gentle and serene smile. "But you should hurry and leave while you can. While I would love to continue our talk. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

When Tokha saw Kotori wasn't moving she spoke again more forcefully, "Hurry and go before they open fire again!"

Kotori shook her head, "Not going to happen. I'm not just going to leave you alone here. We still have a lot to talk about. And you said you wanted to explore this world. So that's what we're going to do. I'm going to take you out with my best friend and show you everything there is to see!"

"How are we going to do that? The only way out of here is for me to fight our way out."

"Not necessarily… If you buy me some time. I can come up with a pla-"

Before Kotori could finish what she was saying one of the soldiers flew in through the window. She didn't have her bulky jet pack anymore so she must have discarded it as she entered the building. The next instant she had a laser sword crossed with Tohka's other worldly sword.

"How rude!" proclaimed Tohka as she pushed the soldier away with her sword.

It took little more than the blink of an eye, but the soldier she pushed off her charged back in and locked swords with her once again. " **If you want to hurt her you'll have to hurt me first you scum!"**

Kotori's eyes widened in shock and horror. "Tobiichi-senpai?!"

"As you wish!" yelled Tokha while forcing the silver haired soldier away from her and then following it up with a slice of her blade through the air which sent a wave of purple energy out towards her.

"Senpai!" cried Kotori while running to get between the two combatants.

Tobiichi quickly ran up to Kotori and took her into a tight embrace, enveloping her in her own personal shield which protected them from the energy blast. Before Kotori could open her mouth to say anything there was another explosion in the room which sent the two of them through the wall and into the corridor behind them.

"Are you alright Emiya?" asked Tobiichi while clutching Kotori tightly with her back to the wall.

"I'm fine. Are you alright?"

"As long as you're alright. I'll be fine," said Tobiichi with a relieved voice.

 _This… is a problem… Self-hypnosis, no problem. Hypnosis of other people? Probably going to fail spectacularly…_

"Remember I said I'd be upset if you put yourself in danger? Well what were you doing here Emiya? You should be in the shelter with everyone else!" she said without mustering any sincere anger in her voice.

Kotori pulled back slightly to look into Tobiichi's eyes while turning on the water works. "I was going to the shelter… But I guess I fell and hit my head. When I woke up it was already over. Then I met Tohka and we were talking, and then there was shooting and I was so scared! I'm so glad you're here senpai!"

Tobiichi pulled Kotori into a tighter hug. "I'm just glad you're safe. That is what's important," she said while standing them both up.

Kotori wiped away the tears she forced onto her eyes and then looked over her white haired friend's scantily clad form. She was wearing some kind of metal suit which left very little to the imagination. Kotori made a mental note to grill her friend about her fashion sense later.

"But what are you doing here senpai? What are you wearing?"

"That is a long story… I will tell you another time. For now. You should make a discreet exit. It would be better if the others did not find you here. They would want to ask you a lot of questions and I do not want you subjected to that."

Kotori blinked, "Alright Senpai… But how can I sneak out of here?"

Tobiichi let the shorter girl out of her arms and gestured towards the stairs. "Go to the bottom floor. Use the window in the chemistry lab. There won't be anyone on that side of the building. Go quickly. I'll call you as soon as I can."

"Thank you senpai!" said Kotori while bolting for the stairs.

* * *

Later that day, Shirou paced back and forth in his living room. His skin had gone through changes over the years resulting in his present tanned complexion which Taiga attributed to all the time he spent in the desert sun during his travels. But today, he was certain that his skin would, from this day on, forever be red.

Shirou Emiya was livid and fuming.

Kotori sat on the floor on the opposite side of the table from where he was pacing back and form with her hands in her lap and completely unable to meet his eyes. This was her worst case scenario.

"I don't even know what to say…" he spoke through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry…" Kotori managed to say in a very low and trepedous voice.

"You're sorry? I suppose that makes everything perfectly alright then," he said with bitter sarcasm.

"No… I suppose it doesn't…" said Kotori, still unable to meet his eyes.

"Kotori… I don't keep secrets from you because I trust you to make good decisions. But today you proved me very wrong about that. What were you thinking?!"

Kotori still couldn't pick her head up to look at him, "Do you want me to answer that?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes!" he shouted louder than he meant to before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down while sitting across the table from Kotori. "Yes. I do want you to tell me," he said again in a more managed tone of voice.

"I overheard you and Ciel talking last night. I didn't mean to. I was coming to the kitchen to have a drink when I heard you two talking about that woman you met. And about DEM industries. I got onto the internet after that and started digging around. I picked up a lot of rumors. But one thing I found made everything you two were talking about make sense."

"What's that? And furthermore, why didn't you come talk to us about it? Why keep it to yourself?"

"Because I also heard you say you didn't want to get mixed up in it more than you had to, to protect us. But what about her? I didn't hear either of you talk about who would protect her," she explained softly without letting any emotion into her voice for fear of how it might betray her and make things worse between them.

"What made you think she needed protecting? Ciel and I decided she was perfectly capable of protecting herself. In our lives, we've been through more fights, more life and death struggles than I could ever fully tell you about. Our judgement on these things isn't for you to question! What did you possibly think you could do that we couldn't?" Shirou asked in a calmer voice, waiting to hear all the facts before deciding what to do.

Kotori looked around and saw they were indeed alone. "First. Where's Ciel?"

"She's outside sending familiars to keep an eye on things for us."

Kotori nodded slowly before finally making eye contact with her adoptive father, "Because that woman was just like me. Her powers, her abilities, and her dress were all different. But she was the same as me. She was a spirit. I read these stories… Conspiracy theories mostly, but a few stood out because I knew they had some basis in fact after what you'd told me earlier yesterday,

Then combined with what I overheard, it all fell into place. DEM have been using militaries around the world to fight and capture beings with supernatural powers for use in secret experiments. After what I heard you and Ciel discussing about everything else they do. That wasn't so much of a stretch."

"Because you think this woman-"

"I don't think it! I know it's true. I've met her. I've talked with her. I've seen what she can do with my own eyes. I've felt her power. It's all the same!"

Shirou put up his hands in surrender, "Alright. So because this woman is the same as you. You decided to risk your life for a chance to meet her. Was it worth it in the end?"

Kotori shook her head, "I don't know… But I'm sure that I'll see her again. I just feel it."

"And what would have happened if this had all gone wrong?" Shirou finally asked her while staring deep into her eyes.

Kotori then completely froze up.

"You can't say it. But don't try to tell me you didn't think about it… You don't have to answer. I'll just tell you what would happen. Nothing. There would be no more home here. No more life here. No more family. There would just be nothing. All that would be left of this family is a wound that would never heal."

Kotori bit her lip and looked down at her hands in her lap. The tears she shed were genuine this time. The tears started to drip from her face and onto her lap as she listened to her father.

"But you know this Kotori. You've experienced something that should have taught you this already. And if that didn't, then I really hope this did because in real life, you can't just start a new game if you die. And if you died. I'd have nothing to live for anymore."

After a moment to dry his tears and recompose himself, Shirou stood up and sat down beside Kotori where he reached out and pulled her into his arms. Cradling the sobbing girl tightly to his chest where he couldn't help but lose his composure and started crying all over again.

"I'm so sorry…" she managed to blurt out before taking a sharp breath, "Forgive me…"

It took him a long time to finally form words again, but he eventually did.

"I will. Someday. But from now on you're going to be doing all the yard work, and the dishes after every meal. And until the school is reopened, you're going to be putting in all the hours you're not doing your school or housework into your thaumaturgy."

"Your way of telling me I'm grounded?" she managed between sobs.

"You're far beyond grounded young lady. You're going to be getting a taste of what my life was like before I met your mother. But right now. I want you to tell me everything that happened with that woman."

Kotori nodded and drew a sharp breath to fight back her tears and recompose herself while her father slowly let her go and started doing the same.

* * *

It was two more days before Kotori's phone rang again. She was in the workshop wearing her Astral Dress and practicing with her fire manipulation ability. She picked up the phone and quickly answered it.

"Tobiichi-senpai! I was starting to really worry about you! You didn't answer my messages or take my calls!"

"I'm sorry Emiya. It couldn't be helped. Are you alright?"

Kotori took a deep breath while sitting herself down in view of the magic circle drawn on the floor of the workshop. "Well… Physically. I'm fine. But I've been going back over what happened in my mind over and over again and I can't figure it out. What were you doing there?"

"Saving you from that monster. Wasn't that obvious?"

"Senpai… I talked with Toka for a while before you showed up. She wasn't a bad person at all. I don't get why you can call her that. Have you ever tried to talk to her?"

"Emiya! That's just too dangerous! That person was what we call a 'spirit' and they are the beings responsible for the spacequakes. They're also responsible for…" Tobiichi took a deep breath before speaking again. "Do you trust me Emiya?"

"Of course I do senpai! You're the only friend I have!"

"Then believe me when I tell you there is nothing good about the spirits. Please. Don't try to approach one again. You were lucky she didn't kill you outright."

 _If only I could tell you the one thing that would make you truly eat those words..._

"She didn't want to fight though Senpai. She was only trying to protect herself, really. She doesn't want to hurt anyone. She just wants a chance to-"

"Emiya. Don't let her trick you. Think about how many people have died in the spacialquakes. Every time a Spirit appears in our world it causes one. The more powerful the spirit, the more powerful the quake. That doesn't even factor in how many people spirits have killed with their own hands."

"Senpai… I'm sure there are bad spirits. Exactly as you say. But I don't think this one was one of them. Believe me. She really didn't want to fight anyone."

"We should talk about about this face to face. Can you meet me?"

Kotori sighed into the phone, "I would if I could… But I'm sort of grounded right now. I… _may_ have told pops about what happened, and he _may_ have been very disappointed with my choices..."

"He isn't the only one. Tomorrow then. We are still having dinner together correct?"

"Oh yes! Yes we are! Tomorrow at seven."

"Good. Until then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shirou was sitting in the living room reading a book while Ciel was sitting across from him and pouring them tea.

"What do you think Ciel? Soba with Shrimp tempura and egg, or maybe Kitsune Udon?" asked Shirou while looking through one of his cookbooks.

"Seriously? You cook better meals than either of those for a midnight snack. Just make more cur- Oh wait. You're planning for tomorrow night aren't you?" asked Ciel with a sly voice.

"Nobody has ever eaten in this house without being completely satisfied. Why should tomorrow night be any different?" he wondered aloud while flipping pages in search of ideas.

Ciel thoughtfully put a finger to her chin, "Hmm. You know what I remember most about Yemen?"

"The time Shiki got cursed and thought he was a cat in heat? Poor Len, I'd never seen her so scared before… She wouldn't stop hiding behind me for days after that. Not even at night. She wouldn't sleep unless she was between Rin and I."

It wasn't the story that made Ciel burst into laughter so much as the way Shirou could tell it with a completely straight face.

"Hahaha! Why do you only remember the embarrassing things that happened to Shiki? You've had your fair share!"

"I'm sure the only things which he remembers are my most humiliating moments as well. If he opens his mouth, I open mine."

"Mutually assured disgrace… But anyway. The thing I'd _rather_ remember is that time you paid off the chef in that seafood place to let you use his kitchen and made us all Unagi. We all got misty eyed from it, it was a nice taste of home. Why don't you make that? It's in season right?"

Shirou took a moment to consider it and nodded approvingly. "That's not a bad idea actually. I can plan around that."

"Are you actually nervous about this Shirou?" asked Ciel with an amused smirk.

Shirou shook his head. "No. I'm not. I just haven't been on a 'date' in a long time. Rin and I sort of just fell in together and became insepara- Oh shit…"

"What is it?" asked Ciel with concern.

"I just realized. This will be my first date. Well real first date…"

Ciel pointed at the taller man's face and started laughing hysterically.

"Yes… Laugh it up. I can't help it if Rin and I got together before we actually started going on proper dates together."

"Pfft! Hahaha! If it helps. This isn't any different. Your goal at the end of the night is still the same!"

"The only goal I have in mind is to get through the night without embarrassing myself. This is really just for Kotori's sake, not mine."

Ciel put her elbows down on the table and rested her chin on her hands after adjusting her glasses. "Come on Shirou. Aren't you even just a little bit interested in this woman?"

"I'm sure she's a great person. I'm sure we'll get along just fine. But do you honestly believe either of us are really interested in dating each other? Even if we were. How compatible do you think her life would be with mine?"

"Do you think I ever expected to end up in the relationship I'm in right now? When people love each other believe me… We're capable of making all kinds of accommodations for each other we never would have otherwise considered. Even if I hate it at times. There are times where I have to begrudgingly admit that I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I'm a better person now than I was before. Hell if you knew me before I was this way you would have hated me."

"I'm talking about an unwanted first date, and you're talking about polygamy… There are times I want to crack open your skull, just to see what's really in there."

"Between Shiki and Arcueid… Believe me. There's not much left in there."

"How can you stand it? Sharing the person you love?" asked Shirou with a serious look on his face.

"Believe me… At first. I hated it. I hated it very, very, very, much. But over time. I got used to it. Finally I realized that, somewhere along the way I started to love Arcueid as well. Not the same way I love Shiki of course. But I care about her a lot. Today. I can't imagine living without both of them in my life. Even though there are still times where, for the sake of all our collective sanity. We need time apart. My point is. You might not think you're going to like her. But don't be closed minded. Give her a fair chance."

Shirou groaned out his frustration, "Fine… What the hell should I even wear?"

"Just be your damn self. Don't over think. In my experience, Shirou Emiya does his best work when he puts little to no thought into it."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment…" he stated while glaring at her.

Ciel only just smiled brightly before picking up her tea. "You'll be fine."

A moment later Kotori burst into the living room, out of breath with a grave expression on her face which had both Shirou and Ciel standing up and ready to arm themselves.

"Pops… We might have a problem…" she started saying before being pushed down to the floor from behind.

Instantly Shirou and Ciel had swords and Black Keys in their respective hands, but before they could take a single step they were utterly stupefied by what came next.

"Wow! So this is where you live?! It's so nice! Oh hello again you two! How nice to see you again!"

"Pops… Ciel… This is Tohka…" said Kotori while gesturing up at the purple haired and armor clad woman who was now walking around and inspecting the contents of the living room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

At the risk of sounding like a broken record. Allow me to once again extend my thanks to everyone who's reading, reviewing or sending me messages expressing their enjoyment of this story. I never expected to get an audience this engaged with the story for this project, so I really can't give you all enough appreciation.

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

Shirou and Ciel both remained frozen in place with the same stupefied expressions on their faces. Shiour clutching Kanshou and Bakuya and Ciel with two hand fulls of Black Keys.

Shirou finally snapped out of his stupor and cast his gaze firmly on Kotori. "Do you mind explaining this?" he asked her while she was picking herself up off the floor.

"Well… I don't really have an explanation. I was in the workshop, and when I opened the door to come back here… She was just standing outside," explained Kotori.

Shirou and Ciel both turned their attention to the armored woman who was examining the photographs on the walls. "Hey Kotori! Can we go see these places? Everyone looks so happy here!" she asked with great enthusiasm.

Kotori palmed her face, "Those are all very far away places from here Tohka. If you really want to see this world, we'll have to start on a smaller scale. Like this city."

"Who's this lady in all the pictures? Where is she?" asked the energetic Tohka.

Shirou, Kotori, and Ciel all winced at the insensitive question but said nothing. None of them expected her to know better. Though Ciel felt she was the one who should probably answer her.

Ciel walked up to Tohka after putting away her Black Keys, meanwhile Shirou allowed his swords to dissolve.

Then Ciel addressed the question in a low and reverent voice, "Her name was Rin Tohsaka. She was Shirou's wife, and Kotori's mother. She passed away."

"Passed away? Passed away to where? Is it somewhere interesting? I wanna go see where she is! Can we?"

Ciel slapped her face with her palm and then leaned in closer to Tohka's ear where she whispered to her. "It means she's dead… Please stop talking about it. It really hurts them to think about it."

Kotori meanwhile walked up to her father and and spoke to him in a discreet voice as well, "It's exactly like I told you. She's unbelievably dense..."

Kotori then spoke up again, "Tohka? Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Questions? Sure Kotori. Anything!" she answered enthusiastically while running over to the shorter redhaired girl.

"Alright… Thanks. How did you even get here? The spacequake alarm didn't go off?" was the first question Kotori posed to the spirit.

"Why would it? You invited me back here didn't you? You promised me to show me this world," replied Tohka in a calm and more normal tone of voice. Her excessive jubilance seemingly subsiding.

"Is that all it takes to bring a spirit into this world without triggering a quake? An invitation?" Kotori wondered aloud.

"I think so. I mean. I'm here. And it didn't happen."

"Next question. How did you find Kotori? Why did you just appear in our house?" asked Shirou with his arms folded over his chest.

"I appeared here because she was here. Since she and I are the same and she was using her powers, I could somehow sense it and I just appeared where she is."

Ciel started coughing and choking on what she heard, "Through the Bounded Field?! And what do you mean you and Kotori are the same?"

Kotori looked up at her father for guidance in the situation but he had his eyes closed with his head turned downwards.

"It's a long story Ciel. I'll explain it to you later," he finally said. "I just have one more question for you Tohka. What are you exactly?" he asked while opening an eye to carefully watch her reactions and body language.

Tohka took a moment to think about the question, when she started speaking it was in a soft, monotone voice with sadness and confusion in her every inflection. "I don't know… I don't remember how long ago it was when I appeared out of nowhere. That's all I can recall. Most of my oldest memories are fuzzy and distorted. I honestly don't know what kind of being I am..."

"That's awful…" said Kotori in a low voice.

"I suppose so…" Tohka started again, "My birth was sudden and inexplicable. The mecha-mecha squad was already in the air when I awoke."

"Mecha-mecha? Huh?" asked Shirou and Ciel at the same time.

"It's what she calls those flying soldiers…" Kotori answered for Tohka and then gestured for the woman to continue her story.

"That's all there is to it. It happened over, and over, and over. And every time I had to fight or die. Until I met Kotori, nobody was ever interested in talking to me," she concluded.

Shirou nodded, "Why don't we all have a seat?" he said while gesturing to the table. "It's almost lunch time anyway. I'll bring us out some food. We should probably discuss as much of this as we can before Fuji-nee shows up."

"Do you want me to make up some kind of explanation for Taiga?" asked Ciel. "You know I could just make her believe any story you want."

"I'd rather we not start messing with her brain. Not unless we had no other option," Shirou firmly stated while walking off to the kitchen. "Besides… I can think of at least twenty things I'd love to convince her to stop doing through magecraft if it came to it…" he added in a low grumble.

"So Tohka… When you disappeared the other day, and the time before that when you met Pops and Ciel. Where did you go?"

"I'm not sure how to explain that. It just happens naturally. I go to a world different from this one. It's a dark space…" her voice trailed off at the end of that before picking back up again with her next statement. "Once I get there, I just go to sleep."

Kotori was leaning in and hanging on her every word. Shirou listening in with his reinforced ears, and Ciel leaning on the table to give her undivided attention.

"So when you wake up you just come here?" asked Ciel.

"Well… I don't wake up on my own. It's more like by force, and it has nothing to do with what I want. I'm just pulled here. Usually anyway."

"Being awoken by force? I can relate to that…" snarked Shirou from the kitchen to which Kotori palmed her face.

"Hah… Hah…. Hah…" Kotori sarcastically laughed before taking a moment to absorb the information.

 _So spirits don't cause the spacequakes on purpose… Tobiichi probably doesn't know that. But the question is, what is it that pulls them, or us, here? And if I'm a spirit like her. Did I arrive the same way? Was I the cause of the quake that time that lead to… No… No no no no. L.. Loli… Lollipop! Lollipop! Ohh lolli lolli lolli..._

Kotori started trembling until she reached into her pocket and withdrew a lollipop which instantly brought back her composure before it could deteriorate to an obvious level and spoil the conversation.

"What is it that pulls you here? Do you know?" asked Kotori once the sweet candy was in her mouth and her nerves fully relaxed.

Tohka shook her head, "I wish I did. I'm sorry… I really don't have any idea at all."

Shirou cleared his throat from the kitchen. "Kotori. Your aunt will be here soon. Could you try finding Tohka something more appropriate to wear? Then we need to come up with a cover story for her."

"Does that mean she can stay?" asked Kotori with cautious optimism.

Shirou groaned in annoyance, "That depends on how much trouble she's going to be. But I'm willing to give her a chance."

Ciel chuckled softly, "That's the Shirou we know and love. But that reminds me, mind if I borrow a phone? I need to get Arcueid to pack and send me a bag, I didn't exactly bring a lot of clothes for myself and this trip might be lasting even longer than I thought it would."

"What makes you say that?" asked Shirou as he reached into his pocket, he then threw his phone across the room where Ciel easily caught it and started dialing.

"Because whatever's about to happen in this house, I wouldn't miss for anything! Besides, if your date ends up being a fail, Tohka's actually quite good looking herself," she answered with a hearty laugh.

Shirou sighed and then looked up to the roof, "Damn it Archer… I can actually hear you laughing at me! Don't make me come over there... _Because you know I will_..." he growled with indignation while shaking his fist at the imagined Heroic Spirit.

"Hey there! It's me," Ciel said into the phone while ignoring Shirou's minor outburst, "Yes. I miss you too. Listen could you do me a favor? I need you to pack me a bag of cloths and send it to me in Fuyuki along with my special 'supply bag' on tomorrow's train. Thank you so much. No! NO! Don't let him! Because if he came here right now… Amusing as it would be, he and Shirou would just rub each other wrong and then we might never get anything done… Yes. You know how they are. Thank you you're a lifesaver! If he wants to help, the best thing he can do is just stay there with you in case, God forbid, this trouble I'm working to sort finds its way back to our home. I love you too, take care of each other. Tell him I love him too."

Ciel's eyes locked with Shirou's and there was a look of deep gratitude on his face and Ciel started giggling at him.

* * *

Taiga looked around the crowded table with suspicious eyes. "So… Is anyone going to introduce me to your new house guest?"

"Oh. Sorry Aunt Tiger! This is Tohka. She'll be staying with us for a while. She.. umm… She's from America. She's doing a home stay with us because she wants to learn about Japan!" explained Kotori.

"Nobody told me about this…" the Tiger grunted in annoyance.

"Since you only ever come here to eat and pass judgements, I don't see why we should include you in these decisions," Shirou snarked while dishing her out some rice.

Taiga narrowed her eyes at Shirou, "I know you've been stressed out Shirou, but do you really have to take it out on me? It's not like your job got flattened by a spacequake…"

Shirou opened his eyes into narrow slits and looked at Taiga with tentative concern. When he saw the genuine look of hurt on her face he sighed deeply. "I'm sorry Fuji-nee. That was uncalled for."

Taiga's face suddenly shifted until she was playfully sticking out her tongue at him. "I'll forgive you if you promise not to fold so quickly next time!" she laughingly said while taking her bowl of rice.

"What are are you playing at Fuji-nee?" asked Shirou while dishing out to the rest of the table.

"Not much. Kotori just inspired me to practice my moe. I have nothing else to do until the school opens again," she said in a playful voice to which Ciel and Kotori started chuckling at the woman.

"What's funny?" she asked them with a raised brow.

"You should just stick to being the angry tiger. You don't have a cute bone in your body," Shirou snarked at her.

Tohka observed the bantering between everyone as food was placed in front of her. When she picked up her chopsticks Kotori quickly slapped her hand.

"No. We don't eat until we say thanks," she harshly chastised.

As Tohka looked around the table she saw everyone nodding along.

A moment later they all put their hands together and bowed their heads, "Itadakimasu," they all said. Tohka tried to emulate them and finally started eating a moment after they did.

Then jaws around the table dropped as she started scarfing down the rice and other food in front of her at a rapid pace.

"She must be hungry…" observed Ciel.

"This brings back memories…" Shirou and Taiga both said in unison and then looked at each other with fond smiles.

"It's been a long time since the house was this full. It feels nice…" observed Taiga to which Shirou couldn't help but smile again.

" **WOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! This is so delicious!"** Tohka roared in happiness.

After a moment to get the ringing out of his ear Shiou asked if she wanted more, to which she responded by eagerly handing over her plate and firmly nodding with a pleading look in her eyes.

Taiga rolled her eyes which Ciel was giggling, "I know Shirou's a decent cook, but if that's how you're going to react to everything he prepares he's going to get big headed!"

Kotori couldn't help but agree, "Yeah Tohka… Take it down a scooch."

"I'm sorry! I just never imagined that anything could ever be so good! This world is amazing!"

Kotori and Shirou perked their heads up while Ciel turned her gaze onto Taiga ready to start adjusting her memories if necessary.

"Hahaha. Your Japanese is perfect. But your choice of words needs some work Tohka dear. But I suppose that's the point of a homestay. If there's ever anything you need. Feel free to ask me anything," said a giggling and smiling Taiga in English.

"Thank you! I'll do my best!" replied Tohka in English with a fist pumped in the air. To the surprise of everyone in the know, she actually sounded American.

Kotori blinked a few times in surprise.

 _I guess she's not totally incompetent…_

"After lunch why don't we take Tohka out for a bit and show her around a little?" asked Taiga.

"Oh oh! Yes! I'd love that! I really want to see everything!"

"That sounds like a great idea, I'm all for that," Ciel threw in.

Kotori turned to her father with her big pleading red cherry eyes. "Can I go with them?"

Shirou closed his eyes and thought about it. Looking into those eyes wouldn't help him say no if that was what he decided. After a long moment of careful consideration he gave a brief nod. "Alright. You can go with them. I suppose we'll just have to add Tohka to your list of responsibilities from now on."

"What about you Shirou? You going to stay here all by yourself?" asked Ciel.

"I would. But I promised Issei I'd help him with something in the temple today. While I'm there, I figured I may as well-"

"Say no more Shirou. We understand. Do what you need to do. It'll be a girl's day out!" said the smiling Taiga.

"And tomorrow, a girl's night out," said a grinning Ciel to Shirou's chagrin.

* * *

Later at Ryuudou Temple, Shirou had just finished patching up an air conditioning unit and was presently washing his hands with his old friend, and the current temple priest standing next to him doing the same.

"Thank you again for coming to help us Shirou. I can't fully express my appreciation for all the help you've given over the years," said the bespectacled man with his usual serious tone of voice.

"It's really not a problem Issei. You know I'm always happy to help out where I can."

"I do. But unlike most people, I do like to express my gratitude."

"I don't go looking for gratitude Issei. Especially not from my friends."

"I know… I know… You're Mr. Nice Guy. So how's Kotori? I haven't seen her in a while."

"She's well… But to tell the truth I'm a little worried about her," Shirou wistfully answered.

"Uh oh… Alright. Tell me all about it," he ordered while gesturing for the two of them to move into the next room for a seat.

After getting comfortable Shirou leaned back in a chair overlooking the temple grounds with a mournful expression. As peaceful as the place was now, once upon a time it was the site of one of his most difficult battles. In the face of those memories, his expression probably looked graver than it should have for the issue truly at hand.

"Must be some very rough stuff… Take your time Shirou. For you, I have all day. All night as well if that's what it takes," said the temple priest with a calm voice.

"It's not that bad… It's just…"

"It's just that when you're a parent, everything is that bad," said Issei while gesturing out across the temple grounds to two small boys playing. One had blue hair like Issei's and the other a light brown like his mother.

"I suppose if anyone would get where I'm coming from it's you," he answered while mustering up a small and gentle laugh.

"Exactly. So tell me what's bothering you old friend. I'm all ears."

"Well…" Shirou said while drawing a deep breath. "I'm worried that Kotori might be emulating me a little too much."

"You say that like it's a bad thing. If more people could be just a little bit like you the world would be a better place in my humble opinion."

"It's easy to say that Issei. But the things I've been through. The places I've gone. The things I've seen. I'd rather Kotori not be so eager to follow in my footsteps."

"Do you regret anything you've done?" Issei wondered aloud.

"Not for a moment!" he answered louder than he meant to. "Sorry. I mean-"

"It's alright Shirou. Believe me I know what you're feeling like. Even though mine are younger than yours, when it comes down to it, it's all the same. I worry about every little thing when it comes to my sons. And if the roots starting to show in your hair are any indication, I'd say we're both in about the same place," said Issei while running a hand through his own hair, "There's nothing like fatherhood to make you go gray before your time. It must be especially hard on you having to do it alone."

"I don't do it all alone. Fuji-nee helps out here and there-"

"Never mind the gray, it's a miracle you haven't gone bald yet!" the priest vivaciously joked.

The two men boisterously laughed together for a good minute and came out of it with bright smiles.

"Listen Shirou. It's perfectly normal. Children will often idolize their parents. She adores you. That's all. I don't think you and I are any different in that regard. You do what you do to follow in your father's footsteps, and I do as well. If she wants to be like you, I think the best thing you can do is give her the benefit of your own experience and then let her make her own decisions."

Shirou listened intently to him. His words echoing a similar statement once made to him. Frighteningly similar.

"Do you understand what I'm saying Shirou?" Issei followed up when he noticed the distant look in his friend's eyes.

"Yeah Issei… I do. Thanks."

"So… Are you heading back home now? Or would you like to stay a while?"

"I should be getting back. But there's something else I wanted to do while I was up here…" he said with his voice trailing off and his eyes drifting towards the back of the temple.

"Ahh… Say no more. I won't keep you. But I do hope I'll be able to see you more often. It's regrettable that I can only get you out here when something's broken."

"You're right… I suppose I've been a lousy friend. I got a lot going on right now, but as soon as things settle down, why don't you and Ayako bring the kids over to my house for lunch or something? Kotori would probably love to pick your wife's brain about Kyudo."

"Consider that invitation accepted."

* * *

Shirou walked from the main temple towards the rear section. There he passed through a gate and entered the cemetery after taking a moment to fill a wooden tub with water and collected a ladle. He was grateful that it was a pleasant and sunny afternoon, it made it that much more bearable to be in this place. But no matter how nice the day, one could not simply walk into a cemetery and maintain a good mood.

As he walked through his eyes kept drifting to all the tombstones, reading all the names he could see. His eyes especially lingered for a moment on the ones that hadn't seemed to have been visited for a very long time. Long forgotten people. A part of him wished to know who all these people were. What they'd accomplished, what they were proud of. The other part however, knew how unrealistic that was. But all agreed it was just the sad reality of life. People are eventually forgotten. It was the transient nature of life, the inevitability of death from which nobody was exempt.

Suddenly he bumped into someone. It wasn't a full body bump, but their shoulders had collided. He was silently grateful that he managed to avoid spilling the water he was holding all over them after making contact.

It was a young girl whose face was obscured with black hair. There wasn't much else he noticed about her besides the wooden tub and ladle she was also holding in her hands as he was too busy bowing and apologizing for his carelessness. The girl bowed back to him and silently accepted his apology. Probably too grief stricken for words. She was wearing a black frilly dress which lead him to reason she was here for the recently deceased. As quickly as it was polite, he turned away and went back to his own business.

There were two stops he wanted to make here before returning home, and he was quickly approaching the first.

The grave of Kiritsugu Emiya.

After taking his time to clean up around his father's resting place and remove any stains he found from the tombstone he lit a few sticks of incense as offerings before kneeling down and clasping his hands together.

 _Hey old man, sorry it's been awhile since I've stopped by. I've always been bad at that though haven't I?_

 _Things have been a little crazy and they're just getting crazier by the day right now. You could say I've come to develop a whole new level of respect for you. What it must of been like taking care of me. What you must have been thinking all those times I wanted you to teach me how to be a mage._

 _I never understood back then why you didn't want to teach me everything you knew. Looking back on it I feel a little stupid for being such a brat and always nagging you about it._

 _But believe me when I tell you now. I understand how you felt. I completely, and fully, understand._

 _All I ever wanted for Kotori is for her to have a normal life. I never wanted her to ever have to experience the realities of… The life of a mage. I don't want that for her. But I can't make her decisions for her anymore than you could make mine for me right? I just hope I'm not a disappointment to you. But if you thought about it the same way I do… I suppose I couldn't be a disappointment to you anymore than Kotori could ever be to me. I'm proud of her no matter what._

 _I guess that's all I really needed to say. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see my wife before she gets pissed at me._

Shirou couldn't keep the laugh inside with his last thought as he picked up the burnt incense sticks and cleaned up after them. He then walked away from the grave and down to where his late wife was laid to rest. But when he arrived there, he noticed something which set him fully on edge.

 _The grave is still wet from being washed… and fresh flowers? They're Rin's favorites too... Who would have…_

He turned his gaze back towards the entrance to the cemetery but didn't see any sign of anyone else being there. His mind then recalled the young girl he'd bumped into on his way in.

 _Could it have been her?_

* * *

Kotori, Ciel, and Taiga had elected to take Tohka out to Miyama, which was the commercial district of Fuyuki City. Ciel decided she needed to buy a few basic necessities for herself until her bag arrived from Misaki. Meanwhile, Tohka had to make them stop at almost every single food stand where Kotori had been forced to buy her something she wanted to try eating.

"Where the hell is she putting all that food?!" Taiga asked incredulously while watching Tohka eating Taiyaki.

Kotori didn't answer. She was looking at her hand in sadness while counting what was left of her allowance, all two hundred yen of it. In small change...

 _...she eats like an all devouring army of darkness._

Ciel giggled at the other woman, "One could ask you the same question Taiga. How do you keep your figure while eating as much as you do?"

"It isn't how much I eat, it's what I eat that makes the difference!" Taiga said in her own defense.

Kotori laughed at their antics while putting the loose change back into her pocket when her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw who was calling and quickly answered it with a bright smile.

"Senpai! What's up?"

"Emiya. May I ask what you're doing right now?" asked Tobiichi over the phone.

Kotori raised an eyebrow at the question, "I'm out with Aunt Tige- Taiga, my father's friend Ciel, and someone we have visiting from America. My dad let me out for this. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Look to your left. Three floors up..."

Kotori suddenly froze as stiff as a statue and very slowly turned her head to the left and up where she saw Tobiichi looking down on her from outside a window.

"Oh… I suppose standing here and yelling 'Notice me Senpai' like some cheesy anime chick would probably be out of line right now?" Kotori rhetorically wondered aloud.

"Very much so. I warned you Emiya. I warned you not to get mixed up in this. Why won't you listen to me?"

"There's a lot we need to talk about Senpai. But I don't think now is really the best time for it."

"Indeed not. I presume your companions have no idea about the true nature of your 'American' friend?" asked Tobiichi.

"None whatsoever…"

 _I guess it's not a total lie… Ciel doesn't know everything yet, and Aunt Tiger doesn't have a clue._

"That's good then. I only want to protect you Emiya. If something happened to you I wouldn't be able to live with myself. How could I protect the world from the Spirits if I can't even protect my only friend?"

Kotori flinched at her choice of words, "I've been hearing that a lot lately… Please Senpai. Don't worry. I'll tell you everything tomorrow night. I promise. Just. Please don't worry. I have everything on my end under control."

"I'll trust you Emiya. Just be very careful…"

"That means a lot senpai… I appreciate it."

With that, Tobiichi hung up the phone and Kotori breathed a sigh of relief as she put it into her pocket.

"What was that about Kotori? Something to do with tomorrow night? They didn't cancel did they?" asked Taiga with a worry laden voice.

"No no no! Not at all! She just wanted to check that we were still on and that pops wasn't gonna chicken out at the last minute. Because I honestly kinda thought he might..." explained Kotori, lying through her teeth.

"Once your father says he's going to do something, he does it. You know that as well as we do," stated Taiga.

"She's right. Don't worry. He's not going to back out of this date. We wouldn't let him! Right Taiga?"

"Right!" she answered back.

"Umm, what's a date?" asked Tohka, to which all the others suddenly started blinking at her.

* * *

Dinner was the liveliest the Emiya household had seen for a long time. Tohka was throwing lavish praise onto Shirou's cooking and eagerly taking bites of everything on the table. Except for the Curry. Ciel had one eye on Tohka during the entire meal to keep her from getting near her plate. A few times she had to slap the spirit's hand away from the dish to keep her from taking from it.

"Tohka… It's considered rude to pick off of other people's plates here. Especially people you aren't very close with," chided Shirou while handing the violet haired spirit a plate of seconds.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother anyone. It just looks so yummy!"

"I suppose we'll forgive you for now. You're here to learn, right?" asked Shirou with a critical eye on Tohka.

"Yes! Exactly! I do want to learn! I want to learn everything!"

Kotori reached over and put a hand on Tohka's shoulder, "Take it down a little. There's no need to be loud. We all know you're happy and excited to be here. We're happy to have you here too. Just calm down a little."

Shirou raised an eyebrow at the rate which Tohka was consuming her seconds, "If we're going to have Saber the Second and The Tiger of Fuyuki over for every meal… We're going to be eaten out of house and home. So from now on, Fuji-nee… You're chipping into the food budget."

" **Wha… Wha… WHAAAAAT?!"** roared the angry tiger which made even Tohka shrink in fear.

* * *

Shirou grumbled to himself as he sipped tea on the veranda overlooking the garden.

 _I should have known better than to call her that… Just slipped out._

Behind him he could hear the girls all laughing at some amusing story, probably one about him if he had to guess.

"Did Shirou really do that?!" Ciel asked loudly between fits of loud laughter.

"Yes he really did!"

 _That confirms that. Wonder how long I'll be in the dog house with Fuji-nee this time? More importantly, will I have a single shred of dignity left when they eventually allow me back into my own damn house?_

Shirou's eyes drifted up into the night sky with a wistful smile on his face.

 _Maybe this isn't so bad? It's like old times. This house hasn't been full of so much laughter in years. If sitting around a table and emasculating me is what it takes to bring some joy back into these walls… I'm all for it. Who knows, maybe tomorrow night won't be so bad?_

* * *

After Taiga had finally left, and Ciel had finished taking a few minutes to laugh in Shirou's face after what she'd heard from his surrogate big sister, Shirou decided it was time to move into the workshop. There he decided he would bring Ciel up to speed, and lay all their cards on the table.

"You know it's something of a 'minor' faux pas for a magus to bring strangers into their workshops Shirou," observed Ciel while looking around the shed with her eyes.

"That's an understatement… Mom would have had an aneurysm if she saw us now," stated Kotori with a roll of her eyes.

"Are we not suppose to be in here?" wondered Tohka.

"It's fine Tohka… Let's just do what we came here to do," said Kotori while stepping away from everyone else.

Tohka scratched her "What did we come here to do again?"

Kotori looked at her father one more time for a final confirmation, which he gave with a slow nod and closed eyes.

"Tohka, remember how I said we were the same? Well..." Kotori held out her hand and closed her eyes as well before taking a deep breath, "Elohim Gibor" and with her words, Kotori's outfit burned away to be replaced with her Astral Dress.

"Oooo! Your dress is so pretty!" said an excited Tohka while clapping her hands and closely admiring the details of her outfit.

"Elohim Gibor?" asked Ciel with a curious eye on Kotori.

"I don't know why, and I don't know how I know. But that's the aria to conjure this dress and, what's a good word? Release maybe? Yeah, release my spirit powers. Which center on the manipulation of fire."

"Know what it means?" asked Ciel with growing interest.

Kotori put her hands behind her back feeling caught with a hand in the cookie jar. For one of the smartest kids in her school she felt she should have had this answer ready for her immediately, but it just wasn't something she bothered to memorize. "Know? Yes. Remember? No."

"God is almighty. It's Hebrew."

Tohka was almost instantly in front of Ciel and staring at her with big pleading eyes, "Oh oh! Mine's 'Adonai Melek' tell me what it means!"

"God is King," answered Ciel with narrowed eyes. "Mind stepping back a little? It's rude to get in someone's personal space."

"Oh. I didn't know that. I'm sorry, " she said timidly. "Uhh. What's personal space?"

Ciel put her hands on the violet haired woman's shoulders and pushed her back to about arm's length. "As a rule of thumb. Keep about this much distance from people you don't know very well. There are exceptions to this rule of course. For example, you don't have to keep this distance if it's impossible or inconvenient to. Like if you're in a very crowded place."

Shirou snickered softly, "Ciel the vampire hunter, and part time etiquette coach."

"Someone has to fill that role. I don't see you stepping up Mr. Tall, Dark, and Snarky."

"You're taking this all rather well? Not pissed off at me for keeping secrets from you?" Shirou cautiously asked Ciel.

"I am certainly disappointed. But we all have our secrets. You and Rin had one, that's fine. I certainly understand why you would want to be discreet about this. If the Clocktower, or the Church learned of these spirits, I'd wager nothing good would come from it."

"Someone knows about them though. Tohka said every time she appeared in this world the Mecha-me- Grrrr! Now she's got me saying it!" Kotori took a moment to draw a deep breath. "Anyway. I'm willing to bet those soldiers are involved with DEM. Based on those rumors I found online, and what you two talked about the other night. It all fits. DEM must be after the spirits."

Ciel nodded, "Yes, that follows."

"Spirits? Is that what we are?" asked Tohka.

Shirou nodded, "It was Rin who coined the term. Before Kotori, I'd never met one before. But while she was on a research trip with her Clocktower colleagues, they encountered one such being and got their butts kicked. That's when her research started going nowhere fast."

Ciel nodded, "Since we know she was working with Westcott, it stands to reason he split with her over a disagreement over what should have been done about it all. By the look of things, it seems he cut Rin out completely and went about implementing his own solution worldwide."

"Probably because he knew Rin and I would never have agreed with fighting the spirits if it could, in any way be avoided. In her notes, Rin said that she suspected he was up to no good. Then when we went through what the Church had, we proved he was up to more than just no good," he outlined for the room.

Ciel nodded. "So what do we do with this?"

Shirou seemed to be at a loss for a long moment before Tohka asked a question of Kotori that got their undivided attention.

"So Kotori! What's your angel? I bet it's really nice!"

"Angel?" asked Shirou and Ciel with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. Like my Sandalphon!"

"Sandalphon?" they all asked at once.

Tohka stomped her foot down on the ground, deciding to show rather than tell. "Sandalphon!" she called out and from the earth emerged the same sword she had been wielding. The same one that made Shirou dizzy before. This time he managed to look at it without developing a skull shattering headache. Though he still couldn't comprehend its construction.

Ciel eyed the weapon curiously, "It's a sword?"

"Very astute…" he snarked at her.

"This is my angel. Don't you have one Kotori? Show me! I wanna see!"

Kotori stared blankly at the sword for a long moment and then at Tohka. "I... I don't know. How do I do that?"

"Duh! Just call out the name of your Angel and you'll summon it. It's easy!"

Kotori continued to stare at her blankly. "I didn't even know I could do that! How do I know what my Angel is? If I even have one?"

"You have the dress! You have to have an Angel too! You can't have one without the other."

"But how do I find out its name?" she specifically asked.

"Hmmm… I don't know. I just know mine. I don't know how I know. I just do."

 _Well… This is helpful…_

After a moment of contemplation Ciel spoke up, "I might actually be of some assistance here…"

All eyes were very quickly upon her, "Don't get your hopes up too high. But. Sandalphon is one of the Archangels. I'm a little rusty on this subject matter, but I do know where to look for more information. So just leave figuring this stuff out to me."

"Is there anyone in the Church you trust to gather this information for you?" asked Shirou with a dry voice.

Ciel did a double take on the taller man and started laughing at him. "Oh! Someone in the Church that I trust? Hahahahahaha! That's a good one Shirou!"

Shirou did not seem particularly amused which only made Ciel laugh again.

"You were actually serious? Hold on… I need to laugh even harder! Hahahahaha!"

After a moment to recompose herself she looked at Shirou who still seemed to be waiting for an answer. "No Shirou. I don't trust anyone in the Church. I don't intend to go to them for this information. What I need is in a library, like a public library."

"Or the Internet?" suggested Kotori while holding up her phone. "We can find anything we want to know online. Whatever books you want. Any information. Anything at all."

Ciel seemed surprised at that, "Really? I thought the Internet was for porn?"

"Why? Is that all Shiki does with it?" asked Shirou in a cold deadpan.

Ciel rolled her eyes, "No. But I wish. Then he might get more creative. All he does is watch cat videos with Len." Ciel then looked around at Kotori who was trying not to laugh and Tohka looking bewildered. "Shirou! How could you make a comment like that in front of your own daughter?"

"You just now noticed I was still here? Don't try to put him on the spot, you were an equal participant," snarked Kotori with a imitation of her father's deep voice. "And for your information. I have the internet in my pocket at all times. If you think that's the worst I've ever heard, you're even more naïve than you thought I was."

Shirou gestured to Kotori when Ciel turned her glare on him, "What she said…"

"Anyway… Moving on…" Ciel said with a dry voice, "We'll do some research and try to figure out this angel stuff. No more secrets Shirou. I need to be on the same page as you at all times from now on!"

Shirou rolled his eyes, "I could tell you everything Shiki's ever told me about you when we were drunk together. But that might be a violation of the Bro Code, and I still need to keep some ammunition in reserve. Just incase he shows up and starts something he can't finish."

Ciel balled up her fists and growled through her tightly clenched teeth… "I'm going to kill that man!"

* * *

Sleep didnt' come easy to Shirou that night. Opting instead to spend some time with fresh tea on the veranda in the hopes of relaxing himself into drowsiness. He heard footsteps coming from behind him and looked to find Tohka standing there looking at him. She was wearing a set of pajamas that he'd never seen before and briefly wondered where they came from but remembered the girls had gone out that afternoon and probably got them for her there.

"You can't sleep either Tohka?"

The violet haired woman shook her head and then Shirou pat the wooden floor beside him.

"Come have a seat then. Care for some tea?" he asked while turning over a second cup on his tray which he had brought out incase he wasn't the only sleepless one in the house at this hour.

Tohka lowered herself down and sat with her feet dangling off the side of the house, unlike Shirou whose feet reached the ground beneath him, Tohka's stature didn't allow for that.

"So why can't you sleep?" he asked after pouring her a cup of tea and handing it to her.

"I'm afraid to…" she answered in her soft emotionless voice that sounded more like the Tohka he and Ciel had met and less like the excitable young woman who had invaded their home.

Shirou felt his heart shatter a little at that statement, but reserved his emotions until he could confirm that it wasn't caused by him somehow being a bad host, "May I ask why?"

Tohka seemed to need a moment to put her thoughts in order before addressing his question. He waited patiently for her for a few minutes before she started speaking.

"I'm afraid that, if I go to sleep. I might not wake up. Or at least. Not wake up here. Whenever I went to sleep before, when I woke up again, it was always to find myself about to be in another battle. I don't want that anymore…"

Shirou considered giving a response, but sensed she had more to say and allowed her time to finish.

"Being here. Seeing some of the city. Interacting with people. Having normal conversations. Being welcomed into this home. Eating such wonderful food. Feeling welcomed by such wonderful people. I don't want to go back to how it was before. That's why I'm afraid. I'm afraid that if I go to sleep I'll disappear and then wake up somewhere else. Back where I started."

It took Shirou a while to find the right words. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to put it for her.

"You said before that you're here because Kotori invited you. And that every other time you appeared here was because you had been pulled to our world. What if the invitation was what you needed to be able to stay in our world?"

"Is that even allowed? Am I allowed to be here? Do humans not all want to kill me? Kotori said I should keep my true self a secret from everyone who does not already know. Does that not mean people would be afraid of me if they knew what I was and want to kill me?"

Shirou sighed deeply, he couldn't argue with the truth of her words. "People are always frightened by what's different. They don't like things they can't understand. But I can promise you this Tohka. As long as you're in my home, with my family, you'll be safe here. And we will teach you everything you need to know to be a part of this world if that is what you want."

"Does that mean you will not let me stay here with you?" asked Tohka with the saddest voice Shirou had yet heard from her.

"No Tohka. That's not at all what it means. Of course you're welcome here. This will be your home for as long as you need it to be. You're not the first supernatural being I've had living with me in this home. And somehow, knowing how my life always tends towards the maximum of chaos, I very much doubt you'll be the last."

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed in a slightly louder voice.

 _At least she's learning to be mindful of the volume of her voice. That's progress I suppose._

"But. There are some conditions to you being allowed to stay here."

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"You have to pitch in with the house work. That means keeping the house clean and all that. Kotori and I will show you everything we expect of you, so don't feel overwhelmed."

"I will! I'll do anything you say! Thank you so much!" she said with a bright smile.

Before Shirou could say anything further her happy face vanished and was replaced with her sad face, the same sad face he saw on her when he first met her.

"But what if I disappear again?"

Shirou shook his head to banish the thought. "If that happens. We'll find you again. Then you'll have to help us fix whatever gets damaged if you cause another explosion by vanishing on us. And if you vanish again after that. We'll find you again. I promise you that Tohka. So please don't ever look so sad again… I can't stand seeing your face like that. Have hope and smile."

The spirit slowly nodded and looked back up at Shirou while mustering a smile for him.

 _I don't know why. But I just couldn't speak._

 _It wasn't the first time I'd felt like this though..._

 _At first, I was too busy being shocked by her to notice._

 _Then I was too busy being annoyed by her to notice._

 _Then it was all the confusion around me._

 _But now… I suddenly recall what I felt the first time Saber stood before me._

 _I was speechless, because I was in awe of the overwhelming beauty beaming from that girl standing before me._

 _Looking at Tohka's smiling face right now… Is exactly the same as it was then._


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:  
** As always. Thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing. Just a quick note, a couple people have PM'ed me asking for spoilers. I won't give them. Sorry. =(

Some of you have pointed out some of my errors in previous chapters which I've corrected. I really tried hard to proofread this one but I may have missed some things. As a rule of thumb I try not to go back and edit things unless they're really bad and risk spoiling people's enjoyment.

In this chapter is Shirou's much anticipated first meeting with Ryouko Kusakabe.

So then, dear readers, shall we begin our date?

* * *

 **Chapter Five  
**

* * *

Kotori awoke that morning and found herself to be the first up again. As usual she wandered into her father's room looking to violently wake him from his slumber when to her surprise, she found he wasn't there.

Curiously, and not without a small amount of trepidation she wandered back to the living room to check if maybe she missed him. But he wasn't anywhere in sight. She decided to go check the Dojo and the Workshop, just incase.

As she slid open the door to go outside she became frozen in place by what she saw.

There, with his shoulder and head resting against the pillar was her father, sleeping up against him with her head on his other shoulder was Tohka.

Kotori being Kotori couldn't just waste the moment. Creeping slowly through the door and out into the yard she positioned herself carefully and prepared.

Shirou then suddenly awoke to the sound of the camera shutter sound effect from Kotori's phone. As he was about to ask what she was doing he realized for himself the compromising position he was in and closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Kotori-chan…"

"That's me!" she exclaimed in the cutest voice she could muster.

"Darling daughter of mine…"

"Still here pops!"

"If I tell you 'this isn't what it looks like' would it make any difference?"

"Not at the moment. You two looked so cute I just had to have a picture!"

"Uh-hu… If that picture ends up on social media or whatever… You'll have to find a job if you ever want to have any spending money again."

Kotori suddenly gulped, very audibly and started tapping her phone, frantically. "Understood!"

Tohka slowly returned to the waking world and blinked her eyes. "I'm still here?"

"You're still here. You didn't disappear," he answered calmly to ease her worry.

"I'm so glad…" Tohka said softly.

Kotori wrapped her arms around herself tightly and squealed happily. "Dawww… You two are adorable!"

"Knock it off Kotori… Today I want you to do all your chores with Tohka and teach her everything about them. Then we'll divide our chores so Tohka can can pitch in with us."

Tohka yawned and stretched out. Then her belly started to audibly rumble.

"And your Aunt had better start paying into the food budget or I'm going to get Ciel to make her..." he grumbled while standing up to go and get breakfast going.

* * *

"Shirou! Hurry up! I'm starving!" complained Taiga from the table.

Kotori, Ciel, Taiga, and Tohka were all sitting around and eagerly awaiting their breakfast.

Shirou didn't answer her, but a short while later came out of the kitchen and began dishing out for everyone, and took his time about it, serving everyone, and himself, but leaving Taiga for last.

When she finally received her plate she blinked at it and then to Shirou a few times, "What's this?" she cautiously enquired.

"You're on half ration until I decide otherwise," he said as if it should have been obvious to her.

"Why? Why are you punishing me?! I'll pitch into the food budget! I swear it! Please don't do this to me Shirou!"

"Good. But your half ration will continue until you figure out why this is happening to you," he said in his deep, gruff, and deadly serious voice.

" **Nooooooooooo! Shiroooooooooou! Please! Whatever it is FORGIVE ME!"**

Shirou closed his eyes, a small smirk etched into his lips. Kotori wouldn't even look at her aunt and simply minded her breakfast while Ciel and Tohka did the same.

 _Revenge is a dish best served with an extra helping. Unless you're serving it to Fuji-nee. In her case, a little just goes a long way. Never, ever, mistake my silence for weakness._

The doorbell rang and Shirou excused himself from the table, leaving the Tiger's pleas to fall on deaf ears while he went and answered the door. When he eventually reached the front gate and unlocked it to look outside he didn't see anyone. At least not until someone started tugging on his shirt.

Shirou's head turned downwards, very, very slowly.

Shirou blinked.

The little person blinked.

Shirou blinked again.

So did the little girl.

Shirou stared down at her with his golden eyes.

The girl stared back up at him with her blood red eyes.

Shirou knelt down to be on eye level with her.

The little girl opened her arms and wrapped them around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Shirou hugged her back, wrapping his arms around her small body.

 _Shiki Tohno… I know you did this! When next we meet… One shall stand… One shall fall._

Shirou unwrapped his arms from the little girl and then stood up. Beside where she was standing were two bags which he couldn't help but wonder how she managed to bring here considering she wasn't much bigger than one of them, but decided he was probably better off not knowing.

As long as she wasn't being followed by a crowd of people with cellphone cameras pointed at her, then whatever she did wasn't something with drew attention to her.

"Come on in Len. I was just serving breakfast, and at least you don't eat so much that you need a pitchfork and shovel for cutlery."

Shirou picked up the bags the little girl had with her and walked her inside.

Once inside the living room Shirou had to raise his voice over Taiga who was still begging everyone at the table to share food with her, but of course, none would. Nor would they tell her if they knew what she had done to upset Shirou.

"Ciel! Someone's here to see you."

Ciel blinked at the entranceway and quickly cleaned her mouth with a napkin before running over and tightly embracing the girl. "Len! What are you doing here?"

Shirou held up her bags. "She seems to have brought you these."

Taiga and Tohka were immediately beside Ciel and the little girl. "Oh my God she is so adorable! I didn't know you had a daughter?!" exclaimed the suddenly excited Tiger.

" **So cute! So cute! SO CUTE!"** said Tohka with watering eyes.

A couple things immediately stood out to Taiga. Len had pointy ears sticking out the sides of her long light blueish hair which caught and held the Tiger's attention.

Ciel pulled back from Len and then looked up at Shirou who was looking down on her with a blank expression. "Don't look at me Ciel. This was all Shiki's doing. You figure it out. Whatever you wanna do is up to you."

Len looked up at Shirou and shook her head. Then she pulled a letter from inside her coat and handed it to Ciel.

"Dear Ciel…" she started reading aloud. "I miss you very much and our bed is cold with-"

Len immediately widened her eyes and snatched the letter back and exchanged it with another one. Apparently, that letter was meant to be delivered later.

"Dear Ciel…" she started again. "When Len found out where you were and that you wouldn't be back for a while she wouldn't budge from the suitcases we'd packed for you. She insisted on being shipped to you inside of one. Naturally I told her that was out of the question, but Shiki gave her his permission when she wouldn't stop looking sadly at us. So we bought her a ticket and sent her on the train with your bags and told her to bring them straight to you. Love you lots, A and S."

Shirou gently pat the little girl's head. "Awww. Did you miss your mommy?"

Len looked up at Shirou and nodded.

"So her name is Len? She's so cuuute! I love this big bow she's wearing in her hair! Cutest! Thing! EVER!" squealed Taiga.

Ciel sighed. "Len. You know the rules love. Cat form please. I'll let you know when it's safe to come out of it."

Len's face petulantly scrunched up but she complied and turned herself into a little black cat. All black except for some white fur in her ears. Her big black bow was now a collar, and a little white string also around her neck with little fluffy white balls dangling from it.

" **Whoa! Humans can do that?! How did she do that?! She's even cuter now!"** cried Tohka in extreme awe.

Taiga's eyes widened to the fullest and she fell backwards as the shock washed over her.

Ciel then turned to stare into her eyes while holding the black cat in her arms. "What's wrong Taiga? It's just a harmless little kitty cat. Don't you like cats?"

"It wasn't just a cat! It was a… It was a… It was a…"

"It was just a cat Taiga. Nothing else. Calm down and let's finish breakfast," said Ciel with a kind smile.

"Uhh. Right. Yes! Just a cat! I don't know what came over me… Oh wait! I do know! Shirou isn't feeding me properly and won't tell me why!"

Tohka looked at everyone in confusion before Kotori gestured for her to come take her seat again. When the violet haired woman was seated beside her again Kotori discreetly whispered to her, "I'll explain later. For now just play along."

Taiga's eyes then drifted back to Ciel holding the little cat in her arms and feeding it morsels of her own breakfast.

"Shirou! This is so unfair! Ciel's cat gets to eat, but not me?!"

* * *

After breakfast, Ciel and Shirou both saw Taiga out, Ciel took a moment to ensure her hypnosis would hold by reminding her once again that it was just a cat and nothing else.

Meanwhile, Kotori had Len in her lap while she was showing Tohka how she likes to be pet.

"So this girl can turn into this? Cat you said it was called?"

"Yes. She's actually a demon. But don't let that creep you out. Demons aren't actually bad. Well. They aren't necessarily bad. Point is. Len isn't bad. She's Shiki Tohno's familiar. He's Ciel's… I wanna say husband but they aren't actually married…. It's complicated. But anyway. Back to the actual point. This is Len. She's Shiki's familiar. And… She's totally adorable!"

"What's a familiar?"

"In short. They're beings who are suppose to help a magus by running errands and stuff for them. See. A lot of mages separate themselves from society altogether for the sake of their research. So they rely on familiars to do certain things for them. Normally they need their masters to supply them with mana or else they'll die. But Len's an exception to that. She's contracted to Shiki, but she doesn't rely on him to live. Which means that from time to time, she likes to do her own thing."

"That's so amazing!"

Kotori smiled down at Len resting comfortably in her lap. "Len doesn't talk much. Rarely ever in fact. She's probably only ever said like three words to me since I've known her."

Shirou and Cel then walked into the room, talking about the same subject. "I'm so sorry about this Shirou. I know the house is filling up fast… If it's a bother I can get us a hotel or-"

"Oh shut up Ciel! You're not staying in a hotel while you're in this city! There is always a room for you in this house and that's non-negotiable. Len can stay in your room with you, and unlike her master, she's not a bother to me at all. I'm not upset with her for being here. I'm upset with Shiki for being Shiki."

"I know your budget is a little tight, so please, at least let me pitch in too? I can't stand being a freeloader!"

"I can accept your help with our problems. But I will not accept your money. Don't worry about that. My budget isn't nearly as tight as I want Taiga to think it is. She actually is a freeloader."

"You're a bad liar Shirou Emiya! What happened to your share of all those bounties we collected?"

Shirou grumbled his response to Ciel, "Jewel magic was damned expensive…"

"Rin spent it all on jewels?"

"She did…" he answered while they took a seat at the table again and then he started pouring out tea for everyone. "By the way Len, it's safe to transform."

Len jumped off Kotori's lap and transformed back into the little girl who entered the house earlier. She took a moment to adjust her coat, and tighten the big black blow in her hair before neatly seating herself at the table where Shirou poured her a cup of tea which she gracefully accepted.

Len had the manners and casual grace of royalty. Everything she did, every movement she made was refined and dignified. And, if Tohka and Kotori's reactions to her were any indication, totally adorable.

"So you've been living on your half of your share?" asked Ciel before sipping tea.

"That's cute. My half of our share. No dear Ciel. Everything was _ours_ … Not mine, and not her's, but _ours_. We put away enough for Kotori to have college tuition. Actually it was double tuition, don't ask me why, I really don't remember why we decided to do that. I suppose it was just incase we ever had another child…"

"So. You're effectively bankrupt!?"

"No. I am not bankrupt! I do some contract work here and there which gets us by just fine."

"For the Association?"

"No, I mean I'm an actual contractor. I fix things. Build things. Between quests to save the world, the life of a hero of justice isn't glamorous. I'm not Bruce Wayne."

Kotori sat back with her tea and sighed contentedly, "Meh. We don't gotta be rich. I like our life the way it is. It's comfortable. I just wish you'd hurry up and fix that stupid car you've been trying to fix for however many years now. Be nice to get some use from that thing instead of having it sit in the back to gather rust."

"That thing isn't just a car Kotori-chan."

"It's less than a car right now. I don't get why you don't just use your magic on it? Ten seconds with structural grasping and even I could figure out what's wrong with it and get it running. And I know exactly nothing about cars!"

"If you have to ask me that Kotori, then you'll probably never understand why…"

"I probably wouldn't understand even if you told me. But whatever. As long as it's running by the time I get my license I'll keep quiet about it."

"Dawww. She thinks she's gonna get to drive that car. Dearest Kotori-chan… It's a wonderful world you live in," her father mildly snarked.

Kotori put her chin in her hands and huffed in annoyance, "Crush my dreams why don't you? So what's your plan for tonight Ciel?"

Cel gave a small shrug, "I'm not entirely sure. Taiga said she'd figure out a program for us. I'm sure she'll figure out something Tohka would enjoy too."

"Something with lots of yummy foods to try?!" asked Tohka with big hope-filled eyes.

"I'm sure she will. But I have to wonder. Do you really have to eat so much? Your stomach can't actually be a bottomless pit can it?" Ciel wondered.

"I suppose not… But I've never eaten food before. At least I don't think I have…"

"Can't be helped then. Alright Shirou. Since Tohka doesn't actually have any money of her own, I'll cover her expenses, and Len's. And I will not take no for an answer!" Ciel stated while glaring into Shirou's eyes.

Shirou rolled his eyes, "You realize hypnosis won't actually work on me right?"

"I don't have to hypnotize you. If you don't let me do this, I'll tell Shiki something embarrassing about you every day until you do."

"Straight to the nuclear option?" asked Shirou through narrowed eyes.

"So what'll it be?" asked Ciel without budging from her stand.

"Fine… Have it your way."

* * *

Later that morning Shirou and Ciel left the house to run errands, leaving Kotori behind with Tohka so she could teach the spirit about the daily chores.

The first chore, dishes. Not a problem. Kotori washed each and then passed them onto Tohka to dry and put them away.

The second chore, taking out the garbage. Not a problem.

The first problem came when Kotori took a chance and gave Tohka a mop so they could both clean the dojo together. She forgot to teach her to wring the mop. But after showing her the correct method and a little teamwork, they managed to clean up the mess she'd made.

The second problem came when Kotori took another chance and tried to let Tohka use the vacuum cleaner in the living room...

" **Ahhhh! You can't take me! I won't go! SANDALPHON!"** she screamed while stomping her foot on the ground to call forth her angel, which she then employed to do mortal combat with the vile machine that was trying to suck her in by her long violet hair into its dusty belly.

Len was sitting on a pillow on the far side of the dining table away from Tohka and when she saw what was about to transpire her eyes widened in horror, every one of her hairs stood out straight, her cat ears popped up on top of her head as she lost control of her form and quickly ran for her life.

A moment later the machine died in a glorious blaze of dust which filled the air.

" **TOHKA WHAT THE HELL?!"** yelled Kotori at the top of her lungs before coughing and choking on the dust cloud enveloping her.

"It was trying to eat me! I had to defend myself!"

"From the vacuum cleaner?!" groaned Kotori while slapping her palm to her face.

"Yes! It was a most difficult battle! I'm thankful the mecha-mecha squad have none of these foul contraptions in their wicked arsenal!"

Kotori hacked and coughed her way to the sliding doors to get it open to the outside and clear the air. Len suddenly ran past her in cat form to the outside, getting as far away from here as she possibly could, as fast as she possibly could.

"Great… Now how the hell are we supposed to clean this up?" she asked while looking at the dust covered room.

 _I could ask Tobiichi-senpai to loan me a vaccum cleaner to sort this… But until I've had a chance to talk to her properly it's probably for the best if I avoid having her and Tohka under one roof… Plus she'd also blow a fuse if she found out unprepared that Tohka's living here… Let me try another solution…_

Kotori pulled out her phone and started searching for a contact.

* * *

Thirty minutes later the bell rang and Kotori ran up to open the gate. Standing there with an old vacuum cleaner in hand was Hiroto Tonomachi. The second thing she noticed was that he didn't have any gel in his hair for once. His black hair fell over his face naturally and she had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"One vacuum cleaner, as promised."

"Thanks Tonomachi! My pops would have been pissed if he came home and found the house in this state."

"It's not a problem Emiya. You sounded kinda desperate, so I couldn't say no. Took a little explaining to get it out of the house though. So do you need a hand with anything? I took longer than I hoped to get here so if you're pressed for time, I got a pair of hands I could lend to the task."

Kotori looked up at him skeptically. "Provided there's no ulterior motive, and that you actually know what you're doing… I suppose I could allow it. _**Strictly**_ as a reward for not using a whole bottle of gel in your hair today!"

* * *

 _I have to admit… I didn't expect him to be so reliable…_

With Tonomachi's help, the girls managed to accomplish all the household chores with plenty of time to spare. He even had a few tricks to help better clean the tatami mats, and a few stubborn mouldy spots in the bathroom which had been causing the redhead no end of grief in her quest to eliminate.

When all was said and done, the house was once again pristine and the three sat around the table for a much deserved breather. Kotori had the cat form Len sitting in her lap where she gently pet her to calm her down from her earlier scare.

"I didn't know you had a cat Emiya."

"She isn't our cat. She belongs to Ciel. She's a close friend of my pops who's staying with us for a while."

"A friend from out of town, and an american woman doing a homestay? Sounds like you've got your hands full. Anything I can ever do to help, never hesitate to ask."

"Thanks Tonomachi. I actually appreciate that."

"So. You hungry? I could whip us up a little something with whatever you got in the kitchen?"

Tohka's stomach started rumbling at the mention of food. "Food?! Yes please!"

Kotori had to blink a few times. "You? Cook? Who are you and what have you done with Tonomachi?!"

The raven haired boy laughed off her surprised comment, "I'm not a character trope Emiya. There's a lot you don't know about me."

Kotori smirked at his choice of words. "Touché!"

 _Damn… Now I am properly impressed! The wannabe chef just cooked and fed me my words._

"So may I?" he asked while gesturing the kitchen.

Kotori raised her hand towards the kitchen, "Proceed, but with caution. My pops has put five star chefs to shame. Do not disappoint us!"

"No pressure then," he said laughing while rolling up his sleeves on the way in to get started.

Twenty minutes of enduring the heavenly scent wafting from the kitchen to tease their appetites later, Tonomachi emerged with a bowl of Chinese style vegetable stir fry he made with leftover ingredients he found in the fridge.

After giving thanks for the food, Tohka started devouring the meal with all of her typical gusto.

Kotori meanwhile slowly took up her chopsticks and slowly brought up a sample bite.

 _Oh my god this is delicious but I can't tell him that!_

" **This is amazing!"** yelled Tohka while scarfing down the vegetable fried rice.

"It's acceptable… Nothing compared to what pops makes," said Kotori with a neutral face as she prepared to take another bite.

Tonomachi smiled proudly for a moment before he began eating as well.

"So where did you learn to cook like this?" asked Kotori.

"A true magician never reveals his secrets," he said with a smirk.

"Oh! You cooked this with magic? So you're a mage too then?" asked a curious Tohka.

Kotori kicked Tohka's leg under the table and glared at her with a burning red eye.

"A mage? Well I play one in World of Warcraft."

"Sorry. Her Japanese is good, but when she tries to translate her sense of humor she fails. You get used to it," explained Kotori to cover for her slip.

"I see. So where in America are you from Tohka?"

Kotori had to think fast, "She's from New York!"

Tohka widened her eyes and then nodded, "Yes, yes. What she said."

"That's cool. I kinda want to go study in America after High School. I bet it's a lot of fun over there."

"You want to go study in America? Why? What's wrong with staying here?" asked Kotori.

"Nothing's wrong with it. I just want to travel and see the world. Kinda like your old man does," he said while gesturing to the pictures hanging around the room. "By the way, you're right. Your mom really does look like Kaleido Ruby… It's kinda scary how alike they look…"

"Get why I hate that show so mu-"

"We're home!" they heard Shirou call out from the doorway. "Kotori? Could you help us put away the groceries and I'll start making lun-" Shirou took a few sniffs of the air. "Do I smell a Stir Fry?"

Kotori ran up to the door to take a few bags off her father's hands. "Umm yeah. Sorry. It's a long story but there was an 'incident' between Tohka and the vacuum cleaner. So I asked one of my classmates to loan us one so we could finish cleaning the house. He made us lunch too."

"He?" asked Shirou with a raised eyebrow while handing Kotori the rest of his shopping bags and started walking, slowly, into the living room.

There he took a moment to size up this boy. He was taller than Kotori, his black hair fell down around his head with natural neatness. He seemed to be in decent physical shape. He was well dressed with a button up shirt, the shirt wasn't tucked in but that was excusable. He wore jeans, and his socks were clean. Overall he rated the boy as being presentable.

The boy bowed deeply to the much taller man, "O-jama shimasu, Emiya-sama. I'm Tonomachi Hiroto."

 _Well mannered and spoken too…_

"Welcome Tonomachi-san. So you cooked this food in my kitchen?" he asked in his deepest and roughest voice which, much to Shirou's pleasure, had the boy looking intimidated.

"Yes sir. I did… I hope you aren't offended, I just wanted to do something nice for your daughter and your guest after helping them clean here."

"You helped clean here?" asked Shirou while turning his eyes to carefully inspect the house. He started in the kitchen and was pleased to note that everything seemed to be in the proper order. His wok had recently been used and was still cooling off prior to being washed, along with all the proper utensils for preparing stir fry. He then checked the drawers to find all the utensils in their proper places. He then pulled out his personal chopsticks and then started checking the dishes, noting they too were all properly placed. After pulling out a couple dishes for himself and Ciel he went over to the table where he sat down, dished out, and then sampled the stir fry.

Tonomachi meanwhile had broken out into a nervous sweat and Kotori stood in the doorway holding the shopping bags and watching carefully with Ciel standing beside her who then leaned down to discreetly whisper to the twin-tailed girl.

"Is he your boyfriend Kotori?"

Kotori tensed up and glared back at Ciel and whispered back to her with a low growl, "No way! He's just a classmate. That's all! I just asked him to do me a favor with the vacuum cleaner that's all!"

Shirou slowly chewed through the food and swallowed. He then gave it another good minute before looking deep into Tonomachi's dark colored eyes with one eye narrowly open.

"Too much soy sauce," he finally said, "But it's not bad. You have potential."

Tonomachi let out a small sigh of relief before taking a seat at the table beside Shirou.

"I think your 'not-boyfriend' just earned your father's approval," said a smirking Ciel.

" _Go ahead and eat…"_ Kotori growled. "I'll put away the groceries."

Ciel happily set down her bags and joined them at the table. She reasoned that anything cooked by someone other than Shirou which he would give even minor praise to just had to be delicious!

Shirou then turned his gaze fully onto the boy seated beside him, "If we have a chance, next time you're over I'll teach you how to properly judge the amount of sauces. It's a fine art."

"I would appreciate it. That's always been the hardest part for me," the boy answered, smiling for the first time since Shirou's arrival.

 _As long as this little shit has no bad intentions towards Kotori… I wouldn't mind having another male around here. Especially one who's a halfway decent cook to apprentice. But if he disappoints me in any way… It's him I'm going to cook!_

* * *

Tonomachi insisted on washing everything after lunch. Shirou meanwhile prepared tea but no one was under any illusions that he didn't have the ulterior motive of keeping an eye on the boy to ensure he did everything properly in the kitchen. Shirou Emiya was territorial like that.

Once it was all done the two males returned back to the table for tea when Tonomachi got a message on his phone and checked it. "Ahh. I'm sorry, but I kinda need to get back home."

"Everything alright?" asked Shirou with a curious brow after detecting the tension in the boy's voice.

"Yes sir. Everything's fine. Just my mom needing my help with things."

"Good man. Go take care of your mother then," said Shirou with an approving nod of his head.

"I will sir. Thank you for having me over and I'm sorry if I was any trouble," he said while standing and giving a polite bow to everyone at the table.

"I'll show him out…" said Kotori while getting up to accompany her classmate.

Once at the door, Kotori couldn't help but ask again. "Is everything alright Tonomachi? You look a little stressed all of a sudden."

"It's nothing Emiya," he said while picking up his vacuum cleaner.

"It's obviously not nothing… You said you wanted me to open up a little… Practice what you preach. Preacher man!"

Tonomachi mustered up a smile for her, "It's really nothing Emiya. Don't worry about it. I had a good time in your house. Your old man's a little intense, but he's cool. I hope I can come over again some time. Hopefully without some kind of epic cleaning disaster."

Kotori considered it for a long moment before opening the gate for him. "We'll see. I think today's earned you the time it would take for me to consider leveling you up from irritant to nuisance."

"Aren't those the same things?" he asked with a skeptical brow raised.

"Not to me. One's worse than the other. See you around Tonomachi."

"What about friend?" he asked while holding the door to keep her from shutting it in his face.

Kotori laughed at him, "Only Tobiichi gets to be called that. Everyone else is just a nuisance to me. So now you're on the same level as everyone else. Bye bye," she said while shutting the door against whatever resistance he offered.

"Damn she's a lot stronger than she looks…" Kotori heard him grumble through the gate before walking back inside.

* * *

The hour was fast approaching. Shirou had carefully set the table and ensured everything was neat and tidy. The food was cooked and ready to be served. All that was left was for him to change and make himself as presentable as his home.

Shirou went into his closet and pulled out a set of cloths, still wrapped in plastic from the dry cleaners. It had been a long time since he had any occasion for it.

 _I remember the day I got this. I told Rin it reminded me of what my old man used to wear. He only ever wore the one suit, and when he wasn't in that, he was in a Kimono. When I told her that, she insisted I buy it because, as she put it, 'A gentlemen should always have at least one really good suit!'_

He ripped off the plastic wrapper and inspected the fabric to make sure it had made it to today without incident. It was a black Armani three piece suit which, to his surprise, given his muscular physique, fit him as if it were tailored specifically for him. He remembered his wife being so impressed with it she wouldn't let him leave without buying it.

Given that it was summer he opted against the vest, so instead he started with a dark gray shirt, a black tie, and then put the suit on. There was a set of shoes still in the box that went with this suit which he put on and stood in front of the mirror. The jacket wasn't nearly as long as he remembered his father's was, but looking at himself as he was now, he couldn't help but feel like his father's son.

"Hey pops, are you decent?" Asked Kotori from the other side of the sliding door which tore him from his revery.

"Yeah Kotori-chan. Come on in," he answered her while adjusting his tie.

Kotori opened the sliding door and looked in, "Just wanted to let you know that-" Kotori opened the door all the way and looked at her father sideways for a long moment.

"Do I look that good?" he asked while casting a curious look at his daughter.

"You are _not_ seriously wearing that..." she deadpanned.

Shirou raised an eyebrow at her, "And why not?"

Kotori gestured to herself, she was wearing a casual light orange colored dress held up with a few thin white straps over her shoulders. It was tighter around the torso where the straps connected to a line of white fabric going around the top with a lighter colored bow as its defining feature. The dress was also loose and ruffled at the bottom. Simple casual summer elegance. "Pops… You look like you're going to a funeral."

Shirou turned back to the mirror and sighed, "Maybe I am?"

"Just… Just… Just be normal!" she grunted in frustration while sliding the door shut.

"Don't over think says Ciel… Just be normal says Kotori…" he groaned while undoing his tie. Before he could get it off the doorbell rang.

"Oh yeah. I meant to tell you they're arriving a few minutes early!" yelled Kotori from a little down the hall.

"Thanks for telling me…"

* * *

Not having had time to change, Shirou took a deep breath just before he opened the front gate to his home with Kotori standing just behind him.

"Hello and welcome."

"Sorry to disturb," said Tobiichi as she bowed before stepping through the gate.

A moment later, a taller woman with glossy black hair tied up in a neat ponytail stepped through the gate and also politely apologized for disturbing.

 _Seeing a picture is one thing… But… Words Shirou. Use your words!_

The woman gave him a smile as she straightened up again. She was wearing a white shirt with sleeves long enough to cover her arms down to just below her elbows, it was a button up which was open down about half way to reveal a red sort of tank top with little triangular cuts running across its top, a decorative white line running through them. She also wore black loose fitting pants and some casual leather shoes. Her hair had three sets of long bangs separated around her face but did nothing to hide the mystery and beauty of her dark gray eyes from Shirou who was presently still commanding himself to use his outside voice and failing.

"Welcome to our home! It's so nice to finally meet you Kusakabe-san," said Kotori on her father's behalf when she realize her heroic father was presently brain locked in the Heroic Blue Screen of Death.

 _Told you she was pretty, didn't I pops?_

Shirou cleared his throat and finally managed to say something, "Welcome. Pretty. Look. Nice-"

Shirou cleared his throat again and finally managed to say something intelligible, "Yes. Welcome to our home. I'm Shirou Emiya."

"Ryouko Kusakabe. I've been looking forward to meeting you," she said while offering her hand out to him.

Shirou accepted and shook hands with her. "So have I. I've been hearing nothing but good things about you all week."

"Likewise. I assure you. But I feel a little under dressed now," she said with a smile she seemed to be struggling to keep from growing too big for her own good.

Something Kotori did not allow to go unnoticed.

 _Not word salad bad, but she's definitely attracted to him!_

"Sorry about that…" Shirou said sheepishly while scratching the back of his head, "I suppose I didn't put much thought into that…"

"Don't be sorry. You look good. Dinner should be great with so much eye candy," she said shamelessly while stepping over to Tobiichi.

Shirou was caught like a deer in the headlights and hand to a blink a few times while processing that.

Kotori grinned widely at Tobiichi who seemed to be silently apologizing for her guardian's manners.

Shirou once again cleared his throat, "Shall we step inside then?" he offered while gesturing towards the house after shutting the gate.

"I hear you're a top notch chef Emiya-san. I can't wait to find out how true that is," Ryouko said without losing any of her brashness.

Shiou grinned, this was where his confidence was at its absolute peak, "Don't worry Kusakabe-san, once you've eaten my cooking I guarantee you'll be back for more."

Ryouko's smile turned into a devilish grin, "I like your confidence," she said slyly as he lead the way into the house.

Tobiichi and Kotori lingered just a few steps behind them, "I'm sorry Emiya-kohai. I should have prepared you for some of her personality traits."

"Are you kidding senpai? Those two are literally hitting it off right out of the gate!" Kotori said cheerfully but discreetly. "Anyway… Later on, after we eat, we'll give those two a little alone time and I'll show you around the house. Then we can talk."

"Understood," answered the taller girl while walking into the house side by side.

* * *

Ryouko looked around the living room after taking a seat at the table. Seated next to her was her silver haired ward, and across from them would be Shirou and Kotori but Shirou was presently in the kitchen bringing out the food.

Kotori followed Ryouko's eyes around, she was discreetly trying to investigate the pictures hanging from the walls. Pictures of Shirou and Rin, pictures of them together with Kotori as a family too. But most were of the couple during their travels. Kotori didn't envy her at the moment. The woman obviously wanted to set a tone and make her intentions towards her adoptive father perfectly clear from the get go, but now that she was inside, she was being haunted by the images of her late adoptive mother.

 _I need to think fast, I need to make her feel comfortable again._

Kotori smiled up at Ryouko, "So Kusakabe-san may I ask-"

"Oh just call me Ryouko. You're Origami's first friend since, well, ever! She's been so much happier since meeting you so I want you to feel comfortable with me too!"

Kotori wanted to make Ryouko feel comfortable, but instead Ryouko made her feel happy instead. As far as backfires go, this wasn't her most unpleasant. Kotori looked over at Tobiichi with a bright smile. "Is that true senpai?"

"It is an exaggeration. However it isn't untrue," she flatly pointed out.

"Better to walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light," said Shirou as he emerged from the kitchen space and set down the meals he had prepared for them. "Something a very wise teacher of mine once said to me."

"Couldn't agree with that more," said a happy Ryouko while eyeing the various dishes being set on the table.

Shirou started filling rice bowls from the steamer set beside the table and passing them down to exchange for empty ones by his daughter and guests in turn. "Kotori's also been a lot happier since becoming friends with you Tobiichi. And that isn't an exaggeration."

"I am pleased to hear that," she answered softly.

"Good, because it isn't untrue either," said Kotori with a proud smile and posture.

Dinner proceeded smoothly, mostly quietly except for short exchanges. After some gentle nudging of the conversation, Kotori managed to get her father and Ryouko talking about each other and that was when things got interesting again.

"Well, I'm actually from Tokyo. But I hated it there. Way too crowded. After school I joined the army because I couldn't see myself doing anything else. We're lucky to have a military which is strictly for protection," she explained.

"So you don't like to fight, but you do want to protect?" asked a curious Shirou.

"Exactly. Even in high school I was like that. I'd see one kid or another being picked on and I'd be there to rush into a fight to protect them. I've never been able to resist that urge, even when it's smarter to let people fight their own battles. I just can't ever bring myself to stand by while someone's in trouble. In the army, I get to do that professionally. Search and rescue mostly. Disaster relief. That sort of thing."

"Recent spacequakes must keep you busy," observed Shirou.

"You have no idea… It's so frustrating sometimes. It's the curse of this sort of life. Wishing to help people in trouble is the same as-"

"Wishing for people to be in trouble in the first place. It's a hypocrisy you can't get around," Shirou finished for her.

"Yes… That's exactly right… How do you reconcile it?"

Shirou shook his head, "If I ever find the answer to that conundrum, I promise you'll be the first to know."

"Unbelievable. Finally someone who gets it. Most people just shrug and say-"

"People will always be in trouble regardless," they said together.

Kotori smiled at their exchange.

 _Unbelievable, they really do get each other don't they?_

"So what is it for you Kusakabe? What is it you're trying to save?" Shirou asked in his serious and deep voice.

"I get asked that question a lot. Every time I have a different answer. I could give you any one of those answers, but, somehow, I think you'll see right through it," she answered in an equally serious voice.

"Probably. For me it's simply that there wasn't anything else I could do."

"Same. I just can't not do what I do. That's really the only reason I have."

"Is there any other reason you need?" he wondered aloud.

"Nope. I am completely unapologetic for my choices."

"I know that feeling," Shirou said with a small laugh.

"You really do don't you?" she asked while looking deep into his eyes. "Something on your face tells me you know that feeling, maybe, too well?"

"What makes you say that?" he asked her with a curious brow raised.

"It's a look I've seen in the mirror from time to time. I look at that person, and I wonder, is she still the same person? Are we still on the right path? It's that look that says, I'm afraid that someday, the answer might be no."

"All you can do is stick to your ideals. If what you're doing isn't true to those ideals, then something needs to change. I can't tell you what that is, because I honestly don't know myself sometimes. But I know what still matters most to me," he said and the gestured to his daughter. "As long as I do right by her, then I know I'm doing right by myself."

Kotori couldn't keep the smile from her face.

Ryouko looked over at Origami and smiled, "Yes. I know that feeling as well."

Tobiichi though, didn't seem sure how to react.

* * *

After dinner, Kotori finally suggested that she take Origami on a quick tour of the house. Shirou and Ryouko thought it was a good idea and excused them while Shirou and Ryouko decided to enjoy some sake on the veranda and continue getting to know each other.

Kotori started the tour inside the house, beginning with her own room, and then from there they went outside where she brought her friend to their Kendo dojo.

"You have a beautiful home Emiya. I am a little envious. It's peaceful here. There's a sense of something… I don't know how to explain it. An emotion that's all around us. I've never been one to believe in things like Daoism, Feng Shui, Qi, and that sort of thing. But in this place, one might be hard pressed to deny the sense of harmony one might find with their surroundings."

 _For a moment there, I was thinking she was actually sensing the Bounded Field. That's a relief._

Kotori put her hands behind her back and took a deep breath with a serene expression on her face, "It's home. I really like it here. For exactly what you just described. After that day I could have ended up anywhere. But I'm glad I ended up here. Don't misunderstand, whatever my life was before was probably good too, but I really can't remember. But whatever it was, I can't imagine it being better than this. I wouldn't trade this life for anything."

"Not even for your real parents? Your real home?" the silver haired girl asked with an emotionless voice.

"I might be adopted. But this _is_ my real home. Shirou and Rin Emiya _are_ my real parents. I just can't think of it any other way. Not even hypothetically." Kotori took one of her hands and lightly touched one of her black ribbons. "They're my parents in every way that matters. The only thing my mother didn't do was give birth to me. But she did everything else. Same goes for my father."

Tobiichi nodded, her body language started to relax so Kotori took it to mean she was satisfied with her answer. "So you believe there is nothing missing from your life?" she followed up.

"Nothing at all," she answered with a determination that quickly faded from her, "No wait… Come to think of it. There is something. Something I can't quite put my finger on. No matter how hard I try. It feels like something important that I've just forgotten."

"Something from your past?"

"Exactly. Memories from that time… They're all just so jumbled. The harder I try to remember, the more things just slip away..."

"I understand. It's the same with me. But there are things I do remember. Vividly," she said while tensing up again.

Kotori turned to face her friend and stepped closer to her where she took Tobiichi's hand into both of her own. "Senpai… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Tobiichi responded by pulling her hand back and balling her fists, "I do want to talk about it though! I want to because I want you to understand!" she said louder than she meant to and took a deep breath to recompose herself. "Forgive me…"

"It's alright Senpai. I understand," said Kotori while putting her hands behind her back again.

"That day. There was a spacialquake. But the… The fire wasn't caused by the quake. It was caused by a spirit."

"A… A spirit?"

"I saw her. With my own eyes. I saw the spirit that caused the fire. I didn't actually see her do it. But… Everything is so hazy… But the spirit was covered in flames. She was a flame spirit. DEM detected her spirit pattern and codenamed her 'Efreet' but they say the cause of the fire was an accident… But I saw her. In the sky. I saw her burn my parents alive! I saw her burn everything! She was enjoying it Emiya. She was _enjoying_ it..."

"A flame spirit?" Kotori asked with her eyes wide and beginning to tear up. "I… It can't be…"

"I know what I saw Emiya. No matter how hard anyone tries to convince me otherwise. I know what I saw. And I want you to know what I saw. You can't trust a spirit. Everything about them causes nothing but death and destruction! The spirits took everything from us!"

"Tha… That… Can't be true…" she said while instinctively searching for pockets only to realize to her great horror that she didn't have any pockets, and thus, no lollipop to use as a trigger.

"It is… I know it is," Tobiichi turned around and quickly walked up to Kotori where she took the smaller girl into a tight embrace, "I've seen enough spirits since then to know how awful they are."

"Tobiichi….senpai… Tohka isn't like that. She isn't. You have to believe me. She doesn't cause spacequakes on purpose…" Kotori put her arms around her friend and embraced her back tightly as she tearfully went on trying to explain. "She just wants to live. That's all she wants. She wants to try new foods. She wants to see our world. She wants to be welcomed in a place. She wants to make friends… If you just talked to her. You'd see for yourself she isn't like what you described."

 _I must sound so damn pathetic right now… I can't stand it…_

"It doesn't matter what any spirit wants. Their very existence harms our world. I won't let what happened to us happen to anyone else. I won't let a spirit hurt a human being. Especially not you! So please Emiya… Please leave this alone and don't get involved anymore than you already have. I beg of you."

"I don't ever want to lose you as a friend senpai... But please. Do you think you could give Tohka a chance? Just one chance to prove herself to you?"

"I don't know Emiya... But I do trust you. So I will hear you out before I say yes or no."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shirou was refreshing their sake cups. "Hobbies? Well. I like fixing things," he started explaining. "I don't like to see anything go to waste. So if I can bring something back to life and see it continue to be useful rather than just be discarded and replaced, I'll give it my best shot."

"Ha! So not only do you travel the world helping people, but you also rescue their junk too?" Ryouko said with a laugh.

"When you put it that way I suppose it sounds kinda dumb. But yeah. That's exactly what I do. You'll be amazed how far I've seen something as simple as an old radio go to make the lives of a lot of people seem less bleak."

"And when you put it that way, I suppose I sound kinda dumb for criticizing you for it," she said with her cup raised to him.

"You weren't criticizing me. At least I don't think you were."

"Well. I'm glad you didn't take offense. As for me. Well. It might sound stupid, but I don't really care. I like cars. I read about them, and I love driving. One of my favorite things to do with time off is go to a race track and cut loose."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really," she answered with a bright smile.

Shirou stood up and put his cup down behind him, then he offered out his hand to the woman, "Then I happen to have something you might like to see."

"Oh? Provided you're not taking me to your bedroom then I'd love to," she said with a coy smirk while taking his hand and letting him lead her through the courtyard.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're incorrigible?" he couldn't help but snark.

"My big sister. All the time. But she's just throwing stones in a glass house."

"That's probably a story worth hearing… But anyway," he said while leading them towards his shed. Though it wasn't the actual shed he was taking her to, but something beside it.

"Oh. You're going to show me your car?" asked Ryouko with a grin while examining the covered car shaped object sitting beside his shed.

"Oh no… I can assure you Kusakabe. This isn't just a car," he said while pulling the cover off the vehicle.

Ryouko's eyes widened and she beamed and squealed with delight at what she was seeing.

"Oh wow! A Mercedes SL gullwing! I've never seen one in real life before! Fifty four?"

Shirou nodded, "Exactly. I've got it almost entirely restored. But the engine still needs work. Before I found it, it had been neglected for a long time."

"And you being the big softy for machines that you are, just couldn't stand to see a beautiful car being neglected so you adopted it?"

"What can I say. You've got me pegged."

Ryouko walked around the car to more closely admire it. "You know I could help you with this if you let me. I'm a halfway decent mechanic myself."

"It's been a bit of a solo project for me for a while now. But try as I might, I can't figure out what's actually wrong with it. Maybe a second set of eyes is what's called for here. So I don't mind at all if you really want to. I suppose some people date by going out to wherever to do whatever. But. I suppose we could spend our dates working on this car."

"You're certainly optimistic. What makes you think I'm even interested in dating you?" she asked with a wide smirk.

"I don't know you very well. But something tells me you're not someone who gets pushed to do anything she doesn't actually want to do. Even if we didn't want this fix up arranged for us by our kids. I don't think you'd still be here if you weren't thinking the same thing I'm thinking."

Ryouko stepped closer to Shirou and looked up into his eyes. He wasn't much taller than her, but tall enough that she wasn't on his eye level. "Oh? And what may I ask are you thinking? Emiya-san?"

Shirou leaned back on the car enough so that they would be on eye level while composing a response for her. "I'm thinking this was a fix up I didn't want, but couldn't turn down because my daughter, my sister, and my friend all insisted, and by insisted, I mean there would have been harsh consequences if I declined Kotori's suggestion to invite you over tonight."

"You're right. I am thinking the same thing. More or less. Different players, but the game was the same," she said while moving to lean on the car beside him. "So what changed for you?"

"Cheesy as it might sound. I met you. So. You changed my mind."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're very forward?" she asked with a snicker.

"Look who's talking? How can you say that after the entrance you made?"

"I'm surprised you're not still a stuttering mess. I think I dolled myself up pretty good tonight."

"What can I say? After getting to know you a little, I find you're easy to get comfortable around."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It's just a fact. But if you want it to be. Take it as one."

"Hah! Well played," she said while giving him a nudge with her elbow.

"Thank you. End of the day. It's not just myself I have to think about. I also have to think about Kotori. She seems to like you. I know she adores Tobiichi. So I knew going into this that it was probably not smart. Especially if you ended up disliking me. But after meeting you, I decided you're maybe worth the risk."

"Same here… I find you interesting."

"As for being forward. Well… Maybe I am a little. But I think I'm too old to play around with these kinds of things. So. Now that I've decided I like you. I figure the straightforward approach is best for everyone."

"I agree. I like straight forward. It's much easier when everyone's on the same page. It feels like… The adult thing to do."

"Since we agree on that. And I've clearly laid out where I stand. Perhaps you should do the same?"

Ryouko took a deep breath and nodded, "I suppose I should. Like you. This was a fix up I didn't want. But that I was talked into. I didn't want to disappoint Origami. That girl never asks me for anything. Ever. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her mind you. I give her everything she needs. I make sure she always has everything she needs. But she never asks me for anything. This was the first time she'd ever asked me for something. So there was just no way I could say no to her,

Seeing your picture on her phone was one thing. Meeting you. That was another. I mean. Have you seen you?"

Shirou laughed, "I'm not sure what to say to that. Except thank you I guess?"

"Bottom line. I'm interested in you. So I'm willing to give it a go. If we can make ourselves happy, and our kids happy. Then why shouldn't we?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders.

Shirou shrugged as well, "No reason that I can see. If we can be adults going into this. Then if we have to, we can be adults going out of it as well."

"Exactly! There. I knew there was a reason I liked you."

 _Okay… Did all of that just actually happen? Did she just become my girlfriend? That was so uncomplicated that I'm sure there has to be a complication back there somewhere!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

It was a week later, and well past midnight in the harbor of Fuyuki City.

Shirou crouched down on top of a large stack of crates where the shadows offered him ideal cover without being in the most obvious sniping position available. He was wearing the black protective suit crafted for him by Ciel. An advanced composite material made possible by new technologies which yielded lighter and sturdier bulletproofing covered his torso but left his arms exposed so he could freely draw his bow and wield his swords. It came with pants that combined seamlessly with his metal covered boots by various straps all over the legs. The fabric in his pants was soft and flexible, but was sturdy enough for even a motorcyclist to take a fall and not get road rash.

Ciel had meant well when she wanted to surprise him by making him a set of battle cloths that was as good as her own. But the final result of what she diligently crafted for him was something Shirou had seen long before he'd ever met the woman.

Needless to say, he hated wearing this stuff, but it was a necessary evil at the moment.

At least it didn't come with the stupid red mantle thing and matching butt cape… Shirou still had no idea where Archer got that from, or what Archer was high on when he thought it looked good enough to actually wear.

With his bow held at the ready he spoke into the headset connected to his phone. " _Servant_ _Archer_ ," he groaned with the most indignation anyone had ever yet heard from him, "I'm in position."

Ciel snickered into her own bluetooth headset, "Servant Lancer. In position. Why am I Lancer again by the way? What part of my Black Keys is a lance?" she asked while turning her gaze up to where she knew Shirou was hiding in the shadows.

Shirou watched Ciel as she took up her hiding place below. Her own combat gear wasn't very dissimilar from his own, but there was always something about Ciel when she wore that outfit. It was a set with thigh high blue boots, tight tank top accenting her curves and a short skirt. And of course, there was the mandatory gap between the top of her boots and the bottom of her skirt that just maximized her sex appeal.

There was one other thing about his costume, and Ciel's which Shirou couldn't get out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. It was something he learned by accident during a night of drinking with Shiki on one of those rare occasions they managed to get along.

Ciel has a costume fetish.

In another life. Maybe that could have be fun to try with her. But in this life, it was one of those little tidbits of useful information Shirou kept in reserve for when he would really need it. Just incase any of them ever let slip something he didn't know they knew about him that they weren't suppose to know.

 _But what if Archer had in his life? Stop thinking about this Shirou… Damn it you're not attracted to Ciel! No matter how hot she looks right now!_

 _Screw you Archer! You did miss your chance with Rin and then you hooked up with Ciel later didn't you? That's why you turned into such an asshole! Because you had to deal with Shiki afterwards! Just admit it! It's not me that's attracted to Ciel right now, it's the part of me that's you! You bastard! You knew this would happen and that I'd figure it out didn't you?!_

 _This could also be Ryouko's fault though to be fair... She's been aggressively flirting with me all week over the phone and now I can't keep my mind right!_

 _No. I can't blame Ryouko. She's been great. No. This is completely Archer's fault. That's what I'm deciding! Everything bad is his fault. No exceptions. Shit! Damn it all. He really did!_

 _Say something snarky to Ciel! Quickly! Before you end up the protagonist of your own smutty visual novel!_

Shirou took very deep breath while mustering up his snark, "Because you have blue hair, and so did he. And since you insisted _I_ be _Archer_ , then _you_ get to be Lancer. While we're on the subject, you have something else in common with him. He also stabbed me the first time I met him."

"This again?" the executor said with a roll of her eyes, "It was an accident!"

"Yes. I'm sure your Black Key _accidentally_ got stuck in my left ass cheek..." groaned Shirou.

"Then you should just be more mindful of where you sit!" she whisper-yelled at him.

"Hehehehe! You two are funny! Oh yeah! Servant Saber! I'm where you told me to be!" Tohka laughed and exclaimed loudly and proudly to remind the world of her complete lack of common sense.

Shirou vividly imagined Saber herself facepalming at this scene, wherever she was now.

"What part of 'stealth' was unclear when we explained it?" asked Shirou over the conference call they were using to communicate with each other. "You're being so loud I can hear you from over here without the phone…"

"Oh… sorry," Tohka answered mournfully.

"It's alright. Just remember to mind the volume of your voice…" Shirou said and then sighed deeply, "You know... It isn't too late for you to back out of this. None of us will think less of you for it. We can handle it all on our own. You don't have to come with us and get involved. You even said yourself that you didn't want to fight anymore," said Shirou in a calm and even tone.

Tohka took a breath and began speaking again, but this time with what Shirou had come to call her 'serious' voice. "How could I do that? When I said I didn't want to fight anymore, that didn't mean I wouldn't fight for you if you ever needed me to,

"I only meant that I didn't want things to go back to how they were before I met all of you. You've all been so wonderful and patient with me. I know you only fight to help and protect everyone you can. Back then I fought for nothing. But when I'm with you, I can fight for something important. When I'm with you I can even fight for _them_ and prove them wrong about me! So if you ever need my strength, it's yours!"

Shirou suddenly imagined Saber looking up from her palm and proudly smiling down on this woman.

"Overseer reporting, I'm in position here. Good speech by the way," said Kotori over the line.

"Lancer… Tell me again why we decided to bring _her_ along?" asked a growling Shirou as he loaded a sword into his bow.

"Because none of you know how to make the encrypted voice call app work properly without me here to make sure we're all connected. And without it, your little plan is FUBAR."

"Language Overseer!" scolded Ciel.

"I didn't actually say it. The acronym doesn't count. And my point stands," answered Kotori.

Ciel snickered over the line, "She does indeed have a point _Archer_ , besides, all things considered this is pretty much SNAFU for us isn't it? We always do these things as a family, why should this be different?"

"Don't remind me. Anyway, I have eyes on the first target. Three black SUVs rolling into the harbor now. Seems our other guests are late," observed Shirou.

"No. They're right on time. I can see one sedan and two SUVs from where I'm sitting, they're driving in the opposite way from you," said Kotori as she watched from a hidden vantage point overlooking the entrance to the harbour's south side.

"Understood. Just hold your position and stick to the plan Overseer. Don't move from there unless Lancer or I tell you otherwise. That goes double for you Saber. And remember, don't draw your weapon or activate your special powers until you need to use them. Remember, we're dealing with an 'enemy master' here and he'll be able to sense you the moment you use them," explained Shirou while observing a group of men emerging from the SUVs with automatic weapons at the ready, each checking their surroundings for potential threats.

"I understand. But what were 'enemy masters' again? Grrah! I should have written this all down!" said Tohka in a loud whisper.

"It doesn't matter right now Saber. Just do what I tell you," he said to her, then Shirou heard tiny steps from behind him and turned his head to see the black cat taking a seat beside him. "All done?"

Len nodded her head lazily before licking her paw and using it to scrub something off her face.

"Servant Caster reports mission accomplished. It's on us now," he said while holding out another bluetooth headset and phone to Len which she accepted once she shifted back into her human form and put the device in her ear and the phone in her coat pocket.

"The group I'm watching have just entered the harbor. You should see them any moment now," reported Kotori.

"Understood Overseer. I see them now," acknowledged Ciel.

"I have them too. Everyone get ready and move after Caster's mouse trap is sprung."

"Let our our grail war commence!" said a smirking Kotori.

As the targets gathered Shirou stood up and drew his bow, morphing his sword as he prepared it to be launched.

"Now!" he said loudly and clearly to the small familiar beside him who stood up and prepared to activate her trap while Shirou launched his sword and then reloaded for more successive shots to eliminate one group of men armed with automatic rifles.

Meanwhile, Len reached out with a hand and activated a Bounded Field around the people they had just ambushed. The field had the simple purpose of forbidding anyone in the affected area from fleeing the battle. There could be no witnesses to what would transpire here.

"Lancer! Saber! Go!" yelled Shirou while ducking down to avoid being shot by return fire.

Ciel sprung into action, Black Keys held close and tight behind her as she ran into battle. Ahead of her emerged Tohka with Sandalphon held high. The three of them combined had taken all of their enemies by surprise from above, infront, and behind.

* * *

When the gunfire stopped, and the night became still once again, Shirou took Len in his arms and jumped down from his vantage point before gently setting her down again. With a wave of her hand the familiar disabled her bounded field as the two approached Ciel and Tohka who had one man still alive and held prisoner.

"Len. Go to Kotori, then go with her to the meeting place we talked about. Keep her safe," ordered Shirou.

Len give a quick nod and transformed herself while running towards where Kotori was still hiding.

"Shirou Emiya?! What is the meaning of this?!"

Shirou blinked at the man who was on his knees and held there with a set of Ciel's Black Keys inches from his throat.

"That's a good question. I was told there would be a magus at this meeting, instead I find you here. A 'magus' who's totally incapable of any magecraft, who's suppose to be doing the job of a magus. But why am I not surprised Shinji…"

"You actually know this guy Shirou?" asked Ciel when gesturing to the man on the ground before her. He had dark blue hair that looked less like hair and more like kelp attached to his head and same colored eyes which were narrowed and furious at what was transpiring around him. He wasn't in any kind of decent physical fitness unlike Ciel and Shirou, and after what Shirou said about his lack of any magecraft, she rated him as no threat whatsoever. But that didn't mean she wasn't enjoying intimidating him.

Shirou knelt down in front of Shinji Matou and sighed at what he saw, "Unfortunately… So how did you get a job at DEM? Did you just forget to put sadist, rapist, and incompetent evil mastermind on your resume Matou?"

"Matou? This is Shinji Matou?" asked Ciel.

Shinji smiled up at her, "You've heard of me?"

Ciel instantly gave him three shallow stabs in the chest with her Black Keys.

"Ahhhh! You bitch!" he loudly screamed.

"Oh. So sorry about that… I meant to say 'yes' but I stabbed you instead," Ciel said before whistling innocently.

Shirou smirked up at Ciel, "Now that's two things you have in common with Lancer. You stabbed us both the first time you met us."

"I know," said Ciel with a devilish grin, "She told me that story. That's why I did it. I think Rin would have wanted it this way."

"I'm bleeding here!"

"Shut up!" Shrou and Ciel yelled in unison before laughing at each other.

"But one thing does make sense now…" started Shirou while looking back at Shinji. "I heard there was a mix up between the Branch Manager and one of his junior executives which resulted in some people coming after myself and Ciel. Was that you Shinji?"

"Of course it was me!"

"After Rin risked her own life to save yours, against even _my_ better judgement. Here you are being a little prick all over again," Shirou groaned in annoyance and then looked up at Ciel. "And here we were thinking the whole thing had to be part of some master plan by DEM to set us up for something…"

"Haha! Lesson learned, never attribute to villainy that which simply results from stupidity," laughed Ciel.

"Do any of you have idea what you're messing with or what's going to happen when they find out about this?" asked a snarling Shinji.

"Look who's talking… Which one of us ended up as the core of the Holy Grail and needed to be rescued by his enemies because of his own incompetence again?" groaned Shirou while standing.

"What's with the outfits Emiya? You playing hero while cosplaying as a gigolo Archer, stripper Lancer, and hooker Saber now?"

"Keep an eye on him Ciel, if he tries to run cut off his legs. If he says something else stupid, cut out his tongue," said Shirou while walking away.

"Believe me… That's not all I'm going to cut off… I also heard about Rin's sister," she said while holding all her Black Keys in the man's twitching and sweating face where she started crossing and opening them as if they were scissors.

"Tohka, could you give me a hand over here?" he asked while passing the woman.

"Sure thing Shirou!"

He started by opening the trunk of the sedan Shinji had arrived in. Inside was a large suitcase which he opened to find full of money. All US Dollars. He then closed it back up and simply left it there while walking over to the other group of cars. One by one he opened their trunks until he found what it was he was looking for.

A large black bag which opened and found exactly what they'd come here for. He closed the bag back up and took it with him.

"We got the package. Let's get going," ordered Shirou.

"What about him?" asked Ciel, referring to her prisoner.

"Oh right… Make him forget we were ever here. We could kill him but it'll be more fun to see what happens to him if he's proven incompetent a second time," he answered while walking away with Tohka.

"Archer, Lancer, Saber! Get out of there now!" yelled Kotori over their phone line.

"What's wrong Overseer?" asked a worried Shirou.

"I see them coming. In the air. The flying soldiers!"

"The mecha-mecha squad?! They've found me!"

Shirou turned to glare at Shinji, "Did you call them in?!"

Shinji grinned, "Who? The AST? No they're coming for your friend over there. Not me. Oh the things they're going to do to her when they take her back to DEM… I wish I could be there for it but-"

"But you'll be dead," said Shirou after throwing a projected a knife at Shinji's head.

Ciel quickly caught up to Shirou and Tohka as they started making a hasty departure. "Not that he didn't deserve it but I thought you didn't want to kill him?" asked Ciel.

"I changed my mind."

"I'm sorry Shirou! They've finally come for me. I should go and lead them away from you!" said Tohka while turning to start running in the opposite direction but Shirou grabbed her by the arm and forced her to stay by his side as they continued moving.

"Not! Going! To! Happen! Don't ever let me hear you talk like that again! You fought for us just now. And we'll fight for you if we have to! But I think I have a plan to evade them so just stay with me! Both of you!"

"Right! Lead on Shirou!" acknowledged Ciel.

"Overseer? Where are you now?" asked Shirou into his headset.

* * *

"Caster and I are moving towards the meeting place now," Kotori answered calmly while moving briskly towards the river bank away from the harbor.

"Good. Keep moving and don't stop for anything. We'll handle the other problem just let me know when you get there," answered Shirou.

"Right! Talk to you then. Be safe!" answered Kotori while running beside Len. She then took off her earpiece and quickly regretted hanging up the call.

Suddenly right out in front of them were a group of armed men. Kotori and Len both stopped and Len stepped out in front of Kotori with her arms held out protectively.

"Who are you people? What do you want from us?!" she demanded in a frightened voice to the men blocking their way while reaching into her pocket.

"We'd like you to come with us," said one man while Kotori was unwrapping her lollipop.

Kotori smirked, "Like hell we will!" she raged while tossing the lollipop into her mouth with one hand while raising her other hand toward the man but Len caught it before it could go any higher.

When Kotori looked down at the little demon she was shaking her head at her.

"Don't tell me you want us to go with them? I can totally take these guys!"

Len shook her head again, and to Kotori's unspeakable surprise, Len spoke!

"Shirou said to keep you safe," Len said in a very quiet voice while using her free hand to reach into her hair and tear out a strand of it.

"Oh. So you're saying you've got this?" asked Kotori with a curious eyebrow raised.

Len simply nodded and infused prana into the strand of hair, giving it new form and function, suddenly instead of a hair she was holding a blue glowing scythe that looked as it was literally drawn into the world with an artist's pen, not a strand of this demon's hair.

 _Okay, this I_ _ **have**_ _to see!_

Len exploited the moment of shock in the mundane people ahead of her to activate her magic circuits and rushed them. By the time they started shooting it was already too late. Len was among them, and she was cutting through them all as if they were simply crops to be harvested.

It was all over in a few blinks of Kotori's eyes. She then started leisurely walking and Len fell into step with her as she passed them by, allowing her scythe to return to its original form and then simply discarded the loose hair.

"That was Alchemy wasn't it? That was so great! You're amazing Len! I've been trying to practice magecraft like that but I can't get it to work... You _have_ to teach me! Please Len! I beg of you! I've been tearing my hair out trying to understand what I'm doing wrong! But with that trick I could tear my hair out and use it instead of spending all my allowance on silver wires!"

Len looked up at Kotori with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Is that a 'meh, why not?' or a 'meh, leave me alone peasant' because I can't always tell with you..."

Len looked up at Kotori and smiled while leaning her head forward. Kotori could swear she saw the demon's black bow flapping in a demanding manner.

Kotori breathed out in resignation while petting Len's head. "Thanks for saving our butts Len. We'll buy ourselves something sweet on the way home. Sound good?"

Len smiled eagerly.

* * *

"How the hell do they keep finding us?" Shirou complained as he Tohka, and Ciel ran out of their hiding place in the New City park while under the umbrella of Tohka's shield to protect them from the hail of gunfire.

"No idea but we can theorize later!" yelled Ciel while the three of them jumped into some bushes.

"This doesn't make any damn sense. I couldn't have found me in some of those spots!" said Shirou. He then traced a new set of Black Keys in his free hand. "And I still have no idea why Black Keys are working and not anything else."

"Have you tried any of those noble phantasms yet?" question Ciel.

"No… I haven't…"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to kill them if I don't have to! Its easier to wound rather than kill with these things," he explained while holding up the Black Keys.

"Do you see _them_ holding back?!"

"Tell you what. If we run out of luck again in this spot… Then I'll bring one out."

" **Damn you spirits!"** a woman yelled from up the air above and ahead of them.

Shirou froze in his place, "Can't be… Was that…?"

" **I was suppose to be on a date tomorrow but because of your bullshit I have to cancel and do paperwork all day!"** she screamed at their hiding place.

"Wow she's mad…" Shirou and Ciel said in unison.

Shirou looked out into the distance with his eyes reinforced. "Oh shit…"

Flying in the air with the biggest gun Shirou Emiya had ever seen a single person carrying was Ryouko Kusakabe. A moment after he caught sight of her the six barrels of her gatling gun started rotating rapidly.

"Ummm… RUN!" Shirou ordered them while pulling them by their arms to get as far away from where they were standing as they possibly could.

" **You think you can do whatever you want and we won't retaliate?!"** she screamed just before her cannon started unleashing upon the area they'd just been hiding in.

 _Damn it… If she sees me here like this a messy break up would be a mercy!_

Shirou lead them behind a stone wall which looked sturdy enough to take cover from the metal storm being unleashed by his angry girlfriend.

"Shirou! What is it with you and tsunderes?! First you married Rin, then you adopted Kotori… Now you're dating _that_ psycho!" Ciel loudly complained over the sound of heavy gunfire striking the wall they were hiding behind.

"She's just working right now, she's a lot nicer when she isn't on the clock!" he defended for Ryouko.

"How can you say that?! She's _**shooting**_ at you!" barked Ciel.

"Well she obviously doesn't know it's me!" he defended her again.

The bullets suddenly stopped and Shirou was about to breath a sigh of relief when Ryouko started screaming again from the darkness.

" **You should do yourselves a favor and just lie down and die!"** she yelled while throwing a hand grenade at their position.

"Run!" Shirou, Ciel, and Tohka all yelled while turning around and bolting to put distance between themselves and the explosive which detonated and flung the three of them into the next treeline.

" **Alright troops! Give 'em hell! Just because it's a work day doesn't mean we can't have a little fun!"**

"I really don't like the sound of that…" groaned Ciel while pulling off bits of tree branches from her person.

Shirou gulped while standing up to see what was happening. Then his eyes widened as he saw Ryouko and about a dozen of her subordinates cocking their weapons. He then looked behind them to find an escape route but this was the end of the line. Beyond here, there was nowhere left to take cover. Just open field and then the city itself. The city was starting to look like an attractive option, but the distance to cover was just too great for a stealthy escape. She _would_ see him.

 _Think Shirou… Think… Think! You girlfriend is in the mecha-mecha squad… She's one of the people hunting Tohka, and one of the people who would hunt Kotori if she ever found out about her. But that's fine. If it comes to it you have bigger bombshells you can drop on her. Wait… That's it!_

" **So go ahead!"** screamed Ryouko at the absolute top of her lungs.

"We have to get serious about this now…" Shirou said while tracing his bow.

"About time…" said Ciel while calling forth two sets of Black Keys.

" **Annihilate! Slaughter! Eradicate! Eliminate! Kill! And Destroy those pieces of trash!"**

"No Ciel. I have another idea..." he said to her while handing her the case he'd be carrying since this started.

Ciel put away her weapons and took the case from him. "Oh? What're you planning?" she asked with a grin. "You've got that look that says you're about to do something very ill-advised…"

"Something like that…" he said while holding up his free hand and tracing a peculiar looking sword which had Tohka closely inspecting it in fascination.

"Ahh… ill-advised _indeed_. I haven't seen that thing in a _looong_ time…" Ciel said with a growing smile.

"Well, you did want me to bring out a Noble Phantasm..." he said with a shrug.

" **If any of you have any bullets left when this is all over, that ammunition will be shoved up your asses! So use it all!"**

"Tohka… I'm going to need you to shield us right after I fire this thing. I'm about to put your power to the test."

The flying soldiers all started shooting at them, thankfully they were literally shooting in the dark so Tohka and Ciel ducked while Shirou loaded his bow.

"A test? Alright! I hope I don't fail!"

"You and me both…" he said while reconfiguring the sword, stretching it out so that it was long and thin while also flooding it with prana. "You'll know when it's safe to lower your shield. After that, I want you to put away your angel, and your spirit dress."

"Why?" asked Tohka.

"Just do what he says. I understand his plan now and I think he's onto something," answered Ciel.

" **If I can't go on my date then this is the only fun any of us are going to have this weekend!"**

Shirou continued to flood the projectile until it started glowing a dangerous red. The mana around him gathering and rising like smoke. "Oh well… Nobody likes this park anyway. Least of all me!"

He then raised his bow into the air, carefully calculating the distance it had to travel and where he wanted it to land and when he wanted it to land. Then it happened, in his mind, the arrow already existed in the target, all he had to do now was release it.

There was a momentary lull in the gunfire while the soldiers were reloading, or just freaking out about the light show his broken phantasm was producing.

" **I am, the bone of my sword!"** He growled loudly enough to cut through the night as he prepared to release the arrow. " **Caladbolg!"**

Tohka raised her shield immediately after he launched the projectile as instructed but she was also looking out curiously at the high trajectory of the arrow which was causing a vicious looking vortex of wind behind it as it streaked through the night sky. "You missed them all Shirou?"

Ciel was the one to answer by shaking her head. "No… He didn't."

The broken phantasm went up, and eventually, as all things inevitably must, came back down. It landed directly between their position and Ryouko's soldiers where it exploded in a brilliant spherical flash of light and fire.

* * *

Shirou, Ciel, and Tohka all sat down on a bus stop bench. All except for Tohka were beaten, bloody, and tired. Not far away from them they saw emergency services responding to the explosion and fire in the park. Shirou's reinforced eyes were gazing down at it where he saw Ryouko arguing with the responders along with all of her troops. Aside from bruises and minor burns, and a few who would probably need stitches after their encounters with the Black Keys… He was relieved to see that they were all surprisingly unharmed as they climbed into a military truck to be driven back to their base.

His eyes then drifted to the fire which was beginning to burn brighter and lingered there for a very long time until Ciel was standing over him and snapping her fingers in his face to get his attention.

Shirou looked up at her. "Shirou… The bus is here. Or do you want to catch the next one?" she asked him sarcastically while offering him her hand.

Shirou sheepishly scratched the back of his head while giving his signature smile with closed eyes. "Yeah. Sorry Ciel. Let's go get the kids and go home," he said while taking her hand and standing up to board the bus together.

* * *

Once home, Shirou, Tohka, Kotori, and Ciel were seated around the table. Len meanwhile had gone straight to sleep on an extra pillow beside Kotori and everyone except Ciel looked envious of the cat. They all wanted to be asleep too.

Shirou's eyes fell upon the black case sitting on the table. "So. Now that we have it. Would you mind explaining to me exactly what 'it' actually is?" he asked the room, but really only to Ciel.

"Right. Yes. Remember when we were all in the workshop talking about the spirits, and angels, and all that?"

Everyone all slowly nodded to Ciel, struggling to keep their eyes open and wondering how she was still so awake.

After adjusting her glasses she reached over to open the latches on the case. "Well... After doing some light reading and making a few discreet enquiries…" she then opened the case fully. "I have concluded that this is a spirit," she said while gesturing to a glowing orb like crystal inside the case about the same size as tennis ball. "More or less."

"More or less?" asked Shirou with a raised eyebrow.

Tohka and Kotori both suddenly woke up properly again and stood up to gaze into the crystal.

"More specifically then. This is an angel. Not a particularly powerful one mind you, hence why this was so easy to obtain."

"Your definition of easy is not the same as mine…" remarked Kotori.

"Remind me to tell you about Somalia sometime," said Ciel with a raised finger.

Shirou quickly cleared his throat, "That's not a story she needs to hear..."

"Now I wanna hear it even more. But anyway, back to this. You said this is an angel?"

"Yes Kotori. It is. More or less," answered Ciel.

"More or less again? Could you just tell us what we've got here?" asked Shirou who was getting frustrated with the conversation while reaching out to pick up the crystal.

Ciel quickly slapped his hand away. "No touchy!" she commanded. "The person at the Church I spoke to warned me not to touch it."

"You trust this person?" asked Shirou, already knowing the answer.

"Of course not. But he has no reason to lie to me about this. He said people have died touching these things," she explained.

Kotori, Tohka, and Shirou all pulled their hands as far away from the crystal as they could get them while still being able to look at the crystal, but now with morbid fascination instead of intellectual.

Ciel nodded, "Leaving all the theology out of it for the moment… What we have here is called a Sephira Crystal. The Church has a few of these. And others have popped up over the centuries. All over the place. A few members of the Church have studied them over the years but never got very far with it. They're considered a curiosity more than anything else really. They say they contain the raw powers of the Angels themselves but, nobody's ever managed to do anything with it."

"So what does this have to do with Kotori and Tohka?" asked Shirou while palming his face in growing annoyance.

"I was just getting to that! This particular crystal, according to the DEM lackey one of my familiars was following, contains the power of Nuriel. They were buying it off those other guys to send to London for research purposes. Keeping theology aside for now, the power in this one has something to do with hailstorms."

"Interesting. But again…"

"Will you just let me finish?!" she demanded to Shirou.

He then made a gesture as if he were zipping his lips.

"Thank you. Anyway. Tohka's is Sandalphon. One of the Archangels. Meaning she's plenty powerful, as we've seen. So here's my theory-"

"Finally…" said Shirou.

"Sorry Shirou! I'm not as good at making things concise like Rin could. God rest her soul. Anyway. My theory is that Tohka and Kotori's spirit powers are somehow related to these crystals. Somehow. I think. Tohka and Kotori had encounters with these crystals at some point in their lives and gained their powers through them."

"How? And more importantly, does that mean you know who my angel is?" asked a suddenly hopeful Kotori.

"No idea to both. Angels with powers related to fire are quite numerous. I'm compiling a short list of potential candidates and I should have it for you in a couple days," said Ciel with a smile which had Kotori looking elated.

"Dare I ask how many crystals or angels there actually are? Might lead us to a decent guesstimate of how many spirits are actually out there,"

Ciel scratched her head, "Off the top of my head? Thousands. How many spirits are actually out there? I dunno. How many spacequakes happen around the world every year?"

"Lots…" said Shirou, conceding the point.

"Spacequakes happen all the time. Some are huge, and others barely even trigger the alarms," explained Kotori.

"Exactly… So my final point is that-"

"We need more information?" concluded Shirou.

"Yes. We do. A lot more. This whole thing set us on the right track. But there are still unanswered questions."

"Well… I'm going to bed," stated Shirou flatly while standing up.

"Aren't you even a little interested in what else I have to say?"

"You're going to tell me that we need to start finding people who know more about this than we do if we want to start getting real answers. Right?"

"Yes… That's right."

"And you're going to tell me the place to start is with my girlfriend. Right?"

"Yes…. That's also right."

"Good. Then we're on the same page. Good night."

"Actually… That isn't true," said Kotori while holding her hand up to offer a suggestion.

"What do you mean?" Shirou asked while looking at Kotori with a narrowed eye.

"Well… Tobiichi happens to know a lot about this… Errr… How do I put this?"

Shirou's voice hardened a little, "By stating it bluntly…"

"Well… I sort of kept it to myself when I told you everything that happened when i first met Tohka… But… Err… Tobiichi happens to also be a member of the mecha-mecha squad… And I just said that with a straight face didn't I?"

Shirou and Ciel both nodded at her.

"Tohka-isms are as contagious as malaria… Now I'm either going to bed, or sleeping right here. I'd rather sleep in bed. Good night."

"Doesn't that shock you at all pops?!" she asked incredulously.

Shirou stopped in place and took a very, very deep breath before he started talking, without pausing…

"When you wake up to find out you've been selected to participate in a ritual battle royale between seven mages and seven legendary heroic spirits, and then go into your first battle alongside King Arthur who turned out actually be a beautiful woman against a giant monster named Hercules who's the summoned servant of the daughter you never knew your father had before adopting you and didn't find out until long after she was dead and buried by you because you were too weak and pathetic to save her life at the time. Then you find out your scary High School teacher is a rival master…

And just when you thought you really understood the meaning of 'Situation FUBAR' you discover that the Heroic Spirit summoned by your present crush and future wife is actually your future self come back with the goal of killing you to put himself out of his misery by erasing his own existence...

And finally, one day years later... You spend a night fighting for your life against your present girlfriend while wearing the same clothes your future self was wearing when he came to murder you which turned out to be designed by your present best friend who also turns out to be your future self's past lover, and realize you know all of this because you've had all these memories force fed to you in an epic duel to the death between you and your future self and now can't sort out which is you and which is him anymore and wonder if one day soon you're going to wake up and find out you've become that future self... Once all of that has happened to you... **THEN** you can come talk to me about what is and isn't shocking… Good night."

Shirou then left the room with everyone in a stunned silence.

"Yyyyeah, so which part of all that do you think is the one that's bothering him right now?" Kotori asked rhetorically.

"I hope he's going to be alright… I'm worried now…" said Tohka in a sad tone.

"I know which part of it is bothering me right now…" remarked Ciel while pulling off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose while setting them down on the table. "I'm going to have to think long and hard about something to embarrass him with now… I can't just let that one go unanswered."

"Naaa Ciel… Leave this to me. I've got this," Kotori said while nodding firmly.

The bluenette perked up an eyebrow at the little girl across from her, "Why? What have you got on him?"

Kotori pulled out a lollipop and started twirling it in her finger while choosing her words. "Nothing like that. It's more about me… But... " Kotori paused and took a deep breath, "Can I trust you Ciel?"

"If you even have to ask me that Kotori… I'd ask you what I'm doing wrong. I'm not your mother, and I would never try to be, but she was my _very_ dear friend. She loved you very much and if I ever let you down in anyway, I'd never be able to face her in the afterlife… So for whatever it's worth. If there's ever anything you need which I can do for you on her behalf, you need only ask it of me. Always."

"That means a lot Ciel… Alright then. Better brace yourself…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Apologies for the last chapter's cliffhanger. And for the info dump it kinda became at the end. It may have been a little boring but it's out of the way now so we can get onto the more fun things from here on out that I've been looking forward to writing since I started this thing.

About comments regarding how "bloodthirsty" Shirou seems. I think this chapter will shed some light on why he's that way and what he's actually going through right now. I know he was OOC there and it was done intentionally. Though I didn't expect so many comments and straight up flames. Maybe I over did it a bit, but we'll see what the response is to this chapter.

Also, a small forewarning. Keep your favorite version of "Emiya" ready to play. You'll know when to use it to enhance your enjoyment.

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

" _Your incantation… I am the bone of my sword. I hate it. Not even a curse should be that cruel…" she said to me. The love of my life._

" _He said you could save everyone but yourself. If that's true then let me be the one to save you. I won't let it happen to you. As long as I live I won't let it. You won't be that man. I won't let you make his mistakes. I won't let you be betrayed. I won't let you be surrounded by people who will turn their backs on you when you need them. You were my hero when I needed one. Let me be yours."_

" _These are good people we've found. You and her fight together like you were born to do it. She won't let you down. That man though is so much like you that you might not ever be able to get along with him anymore than you could get along with_ _ **him**_ _but I think we should stick with them."_

" _We've come a long way. We been through so much. But I don't regret anything. I like my life with you. I want it to continue. Always."_

" _I love you," I said to her. Wishing I said it more often._

" _I love you," she said to me as she often did, but every time, it was the same as the first time._

" _Marry me," I asked of her._

" _Yes!" she exclaimed to me._

" _You won't ever become that man. I don't know what his life was like. But we have a family now. I don't think he ever did. All he ever had were reasons to fight and never any reason to live. That's why you're different people. He isn't your fate. You can make your own now," she said to me._

Shirou looked closely into the mirror where he carefully examined his eyes, so far there was no sign of any changes. But it was the roots of his hair kept which pulling his eyes up to them. Caving into his frustrations he opened his drawer under the sink and retrieved a hair dying kit to get to work on it.

" _I won't become that bastard… No matter what happens. I won't regret a thing," I said to myself._

" _That kind of thinking is where this all began. Before long. You'll wake up and find you've become me."_

Shirou rubbed the dye into his hair with plastic gloved hands, thoroughly and aggressively working it in to ensure no trace of that man's white hairs could be seen.

" _No. No way that's ever going to happen." I said to myself._

" _But in the end you're a fraud. And your hypocrisy can't save anyone. How could you when you never knew who you should save to begin with? And look. This is the result. You can never be a savior. You never had anything to save! You became the embodiment of justice… And justice can be cruel!"_

" _That is not true… I have a lot to save!"_

He removed his gloves and threw them into the trash bin. He then put his hands on the sink, he looked up and glared with hatred into the mirror while the dye did its work.

" _If you can't live without that dream. Let it drag you down and drown you…"_

"I'll use every ounce of my strength, to defeat the part of me that's you!" Shirou said through tightly clenched teeth. He balled his fist and punched the mirror as if it were Archer's face, shattering it and sending shards and blood drops hurtling all over the bathroom.

"Stop screwing with me you bastard!" yelled Shirou while staring into the remains of the broken mirror.

" _Shirou… I'm sorry I can't protect you anymore… Take care of our daughter… and thank you. I couldn't have wished for a better life... than the one I had with you. I love you… I'll always love you."_

He fell onto his knees, cutting them on the broken shards and sobbed quietly into his hands.

* * *

Meanwhile Kotori sat on the veranda overlooking the courtyard with Ciel as they found it to be a particularly beautiful day. Tohka was in the yard playing with Len and the two seemed to be having a good time with each other.

"I'm worried about your father…" said a wistful Ciel.

"Me too… He's been so withdrawn since that night. We've barely said anything to each other for days now," Kotori said while staring into her tea. "Has he ever been this way before?"

Ciel shook her head, "No. This is something new. I've never seen him so high strung. He's usually so carefree and charming. Idiotic, reliable, stubborn, brave… Frustratingly selfless. But being withdrawn like this… This is new."

"I wish I knew what to do…" she said before sipping from the tea.

"I don't think telling him what you told me would be a very good idea right now," said Ciel before sipping her own tea.

"What do you think I should do about that?" she asked the older woman.

"About your problem?" Ciel asked rhetorically before sipping from her tea and gathering her thoughts, "You're dealing with something pretty heavy there. I'm just glad you felt like you could confide in me. You shouldn't carry that alone."

"Naaa. Nothing heavy about it. Hearing from my best friend that I may have been the one who burnt my own hometown to ashes and killed her parents-"

"The operative word there is 'may' you don't remember what happened," said Ciel before Kotori could continue with her train of thought. "By her own admission her memories are hazy at best. There's no way to be sure that's what actually happened."

"I can barely control my powers Ciel. Even though I don't remember any of this it isn't a stretch! When I just try to light the wick in a lamp I end up melting the whole thing down."

"Maybe you're going about it all wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Kotori asked with a curious gaze on Ciel.

"Your mother, as much as I love and adore her, was very set in her ways. I remember when she was trying to teach me some magecraft she was very rigid and inflexible in her method of teaching,"

"That's an understatement…"

Ciel nodded in agreement, "My point is, I wanted to learn, but the way she had me going about it just wasn't working for me. We all learn in different ways. And magecraft also has other complications. What if your spirit power doesn't work the same way as regular magic?"

"How could it not?"

"Well. Without knowing more about your specific problem I don't know how helpful I can be. But I'm willing to bet good money there's someone else in this house who probably does know a lot about the subject," she said while gesturing to Tohka.

Kotori looked over at the other spirit chasing a ball across the yard.

"You're thinking she's way too naive and immature to be of any use to you. Looking at her right now, I can't blame you for coming to that conclusion. But you did risk your life for a chance to meet and talk to her about your spirit powers. But since she's been here you haven't approached her at all about it. Why is that?"

"Her powers are so different from mine that I seriously doubt-"

"Stop right there," demanded Ciel which pulled Kotori's undivided attention. "You sound just like your mother now. When she got stumped on something, she had to solve it herself. She was always too proud to ever ask for help. When the idea was suggested to her, she would just make an excuse for why she couldn't. Don't be that way. That was one of her character flaws you're better off without."

"Alright, you win Ciel. I'll talk to Tohka about it. But first let her finish playing with Len. They look like they're having too much fun together,"

"It's rare to see Len playing around with anyone. But I guess Tohka brings out all of our childish sides. She's a grown woman in a lot of ways. But in many other ways, she's just a big kid with infectious enthusiasm for _everything_."

Shirou walked out onto the veranda and cleared his throat to get their attention, "I'm going out to do a job. I should be back in three or four hours. Alright?" he said emotionlessly.

Kotori and Ciel both just stared at him, both noticed is bandaged hand but neither said anything.

"Aright Pops. See you when you get back," said Kotori.

He nodded and walked away.

"I love you!" she yelled after him but got no response.

Kotori stared at the empty hall behind her and turned her head downwards. It was a long moment where she fought back tears before Ciel pulled her into a hug and held her close while she cried.

"I hate being so powerless…" she said angrily through her tears.

* * *

Shirou placed his hand on an old washing machine in the back of Ryuudou temple. "Trace on," he said to himself with his eyes closed.

 _As I suspected… This is going to be messy._

Shirou set about disassembling the machine when Issei walked into the back. "Any luck?" the priest asked him.

Shirou stood up from the machine with an annoyed grunt, "Yeah. I've had a lot of luck. It's just that all of it is bad. The outer tub cracked. I could try and find you a new one but it won't be easy. The maker went out of business while we were still in High School, so I'll have to try and find you something compatible if I can't find the part from any of my sources."

"So it can be fixed?"

"I'm cautiously optimistic that it can. Yes. Once I get it open and clean out the gunk that's been building up in it, I'll know more," Shirou said with a smile.

"You're a good man Shirou. Ayoko didn't want to trouble you so she called a random repairman, he took one look and said it was hopelessly obsolete and should just be replaced," explained Issei.

"Obsolete. Maybe. But not useless. Not yet at least. I'll get it running again. Might take some time, but it'll live again."

"Glad to know I can always count on you. But I insist you let me pay you for this trouble," the man said while holding out an envelope to him.

"That's really not necessary Issei. Just pay for any parts its needs. My labor costs are always waved for you."

"I can't just accept that Shirou. A man should be compensated for his work. It's only proper."

"What if the enjoyment he gets from his work _is_ his compensation?" asked Shirou while looking up at his old friend.

"I'd tell him that he can't eat his good feelings and insist he take the money."

Shirou cracked a smile, "Tell you what Issei, I'll accept that money, but in return, you have to keep it and put it towards one of those charities you fundraise for, alright?"

Issei sighed in resignation, "You're impossibly stubborn Shirou. Do you know that?"

"I do. They say it's part of my charm," he said with his signature smile, eyes closed and all.

* * *

Shirou's phone rang as he was walking down the stairs away from the temple. He then raised a surprised eyebrow at who was calling.

"Good day to you Kusakabe," he said politely after answering the call.

"So formal? What's my name Shirou? Come on. Say my name."

"Ryouko," he said into the phone with a roll of his eyes.

"Much better!" she cheered into his ear. Her tone then suddenly shifted to a lower more normal one, "I'm not calling at a bad time am I?"

"Nope. I just finished a job and I'm walking right now."

"Are you maybe free for an hour or two?" she asked hesitantly. The tone took Shirou by complete surprise.

"Umm… I can be? Did you have something in mind?" he asked with a curious eyebrow raised.

"I always have something in mind. I wanted to make up for having to cancel on you the other day, so I would like to invite you to lunch. No wait. That's stupid. I don't know what I was thinking. You're a better cook than any restaurant employee… How about we… umm…"

"Take a breath Ryouko. It doesn't have to be this complicated. I'm fine with anything you want to do," Shirou said in a firm yet polite tone.

"How about I come get you and we make it up as we go along?" she offered.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm just walking down the steps of Ryuudou Temple right now. I'll be home in about twenty minutes, if you can pick me up in forty five I'll be changed and ready to go."

"What are you wearing?" she asked in a saucy voice.

"I'm wearing the spoiled remains of a set of work cloths. My old friend's washing machine broke down and it needed emergency surgery… Right now I smell like whatever passes for laundry detergent that his wife uses. So yeah. I need to clean up and change,"

"Not a chance Shirou! I'm in my work cloths too and I'm not letting you go home and get into a tuxedo…" she then changed her voice to sound like a cheesy movie villain, "Very foolish. Mr. Bond."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, "Oh so you get to dress like a proud military officer while I look like the mechanic whose test riding your car with you after servicing it?"

"Pretty much yeah," he could hear the sound of an engine rumbling as she stepped on the gas. "I'll be at the bottom of those steps in exactly ten minutes. Be there!" she demanded before hanging up.

* * *

Shirou blinked at the car which pulled up beside the temple steps. She wasn't just into cars. She was insane about them. It was a black Nissan GTR decorated with brand names for whatever custom parts she had under the hood and large stickers of what was probably her favorite anime character on the doors which seemed familiar to him but that he couldn't recall at the moment.

"Seriously Ryouko?" he sighed, "Pop the trunk so I can put my tools away," he said while walking to the back of the car.

After putting the tools away into a corner so they wouldn't slide around he got in on the passenger side and shut the door gently beside him.

"So how do you like my wheels?" she asked with a grin.

Shirou looked around the car, but in such a way that he could also take note of her appearance. She was wearing dark green army fatigues in contrast to his mostly stain covered light blue work suit.

"This was everyone's dream car when I was in High School."

"Even mine," she said with a wink. "Believe it or not I bought this thing from a junkyard after some rich guy wrecked it and brought it back to life."

"Ahh. I was wondering how you could afford this on an army salary. Very impressive work. I doubt my Benz will ever be able to keep up with this, so a race is out of the question," he said while grinning to her.

"It's not the car, it's the driver!" she exclaimed while shifting into gear, spinning out the back tires and taking off along the twisty road.

Shirou's eyes widened in horror as she drifted through the turns. "Ryouko! There could be cars coming that you can't see! Shouldn't you slow down?"

Ryouko pointed at the GPS navigation screen. "It'll show me if there's anyone ahead. Just relax Shirou! I'm reckless but not completely irresponsible! I know what I'm doing!" she happily exclaimed while turning on her stereo which started blaring some popular new rock song.

 _Believe me woman, I know. I've seen you work! Wait… Why do I know this song… Oh she can't be serious…_

"Isn't this the opening from that Gundam show?!" he asked incredulously.

"Oh? Another Gundam fan?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Not by choice… I have a fourteen year old daughter and an almost forty unmarried surrogate sister who both love anime…" he stated while holding the door handle tightly to keep his butt in the seat as she slid through another turn.

"Ahh. So you didn't recognize the character on the vinyls? That's Kirino Akiyama, from Gundam Imperium. She's my favorite!"

 _I wish I could tell her I've seen her cosplay as a sexy scantily clad mobile suit while trying to kill me… But she did look really good doing it so… maybe I won't snark about it if it ever comes up. Damn it... Don't tell me I have a costume fetish as well now?!  
_

"Do you really have to slide through the turns?!" he asked while holding on so tight he was afraid he might rip the handle clean off.

"I'm from Tokyo remember? I need my drift fix! This is the only road in all of Fuyuki you can drift through that's actually fun! Relax and enjoy yourself a little! I'm really good at this!"

Shirou's hand and nerves finally relaxed as he got used to her wild driving. "EX rank riding skill, for sure…" he mumbled.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you!"

"You're really good at this!" he said louder.

 _She could be a Rider or Berserker class if she ever became a Heroic Spirit… She'd be great at either._

* * *

Ryouko drove them up to a road side cafe at the end of the long winding road. Shirou hadn't ever been here before and was surprised to find that Ryouko's wasn't the only tuned up car parked here. Besides sports cars in every color of the rainbow, there were also motorcycles and things Shirou would have to call 'works in progress'. This was a place that seemed like it was here to cater to the underground racing scene which he never realized Fuyuki actually had.

"Wasn't that fun?" she asked him with a grin before getting out of the car.

Shirou bobbed his head around thoughtfully for a moment before opening the door to get out of the car. "It wasn't boring," he finally said while going to walk beside her.

Once inside they sat down at a table where a waiter came up to them to take orders.

"Bottle of Kirin please," she requested.

Shirou looked over at what the bar had on tap, "Guinness," he said.

"The black stuff?" Ryouko questioned.

Shirou shrugged, "I came into my drinking age in England."

"Origami mentioned you studied there when she was convincing me to meet you. I bet that was fun."

"It wasn't boring," he said with a smile while unconsciously playing with his wedding band.

Ryouko glanced at the golden ring, "Was that where you met your wife?"

Shirou suddenly became very self-conscious of the ring and covered it up with his other hand. "Uhh. No. We were in High School together. She was the one who wanted to go study in London. I just went with her."

"Sorry. I probably shouldn't bring it up…" she said while mentally kicking herself.

Shirou shook his head, "It's alright. If she ever saw me getting upset about it or letting her memory hold me back from my future, she'd kick my ass. So don't worry about it," he said while the waiter served them their drinks.

Ryouko held up her glass to Shirou, "So you think I'm your future? Very presumptuous of you," she said with a smiling laugh.

"I presume nothing. I'm just being open minded," he smiled back while knocking glasses with her before they both took a long sip of their respective brews.

* * *

After a couple beers and light snacks the two emerged from the establishment and started walking back to her car. "So where do you wanna go next? I've got another hour to kill before I need to start back to the base," she asked in a happy voice.

"I've no preference. What would you do if I wasn't here?"

"Race someone. What do you think?" she asked while gesturing with open arms at their surroundings.

"Yeah… Dumb question. So how about we-"

"Give her back! Please!" Shirou heard the small voice of a young girl tearfully pleading with someone. "You're hurting her!"

The two turned around to look behind them where they saw a couple young men playing keep away with a little girl who was jumping desperately to try and get something back from them. She was wearing a green bunny eared hooded coat over a white frilly dress with matching green boots.

"Your foul mouthed puppet said something he shouldn't have! So you can't have him back until he apologizes!" said one of the young men while tossing a white rabbit puppet to the other man.

"It's a her. She just told you to stop picking on me…"

Shirou and Ryouko both raised their eyebrows while walking towards the scene.

"Sounded like a him to me," one of them said in response.

"Excuse me!" shouted Ryouko, "Would you two kindly give her back the puppet? Before I break every bone in your pathetic bodies!"

Shirou looked surprised at the viciousness in Ryouko's tone but folded his arms and smirked. "Better do what the lady says. She could probably get away with it if she followed through."

"What's this? Soldier Cosplay and her greasemonkey? Is the rabbit girl with you? Then you apologize for your little bitch!" one of them yelled while holding the white puppet up high away from the little girl who was trying to jump and reach it but just couldn't.

"Cosplay… He thinks I'm cosplaying…" she said while rolling up her sleeves on her way towards them.

Shirou then quickly reached out and held her back with one arm. "Before we go straight to fisticuffs, maybe we can reason with them?"

"This little kid has no respect for her elders so we have to teach her a life lesson. Stay out of it!"

Shirou started walking up to them, his tall and lean physique not intimidating either in the slightest. "Whatever she did, I apologize for her. Just give her back her puppet and leave her alone."

"Not good enough. Bow and apologize!"

Shirou sighed deeply and was about to comply when Ryouko stopped him, "No Shirou! What're you thinking? I won't allow you to put yourself beneath bullies! I hate bullies more than anything!" she yelled before rushing the one with the puppet where she punched him in the gut and snatched the white puppet out of his hand.

When his friend tried to intervene it was only to be meet with a vicious kick to his chest which sent him to the dusty ground.

 _Damn… Definitely Berserker class._

Ryouko then took the little girl by the hand and started walking away from the scene. But before she could get very far the one she punched pulled a knife and started running towards her. Shirou's eyes widened and he ran for it with reinforced legs, he pushed Ryouko out of the way of the impending stab and took it in his shoulder before grabbing onto the man's hand and brutally twisting it until he was rolling through the air and face first onto the ground and lost consciousness on impact. Shirou then twisted the arm some more until every bone in his hand and arm was broken before relieving him of his weapon.

He then stood while Ryouko rushed to his side. "Shirou! Oh my god you're bleeding too much! I have a first aid kit the car, come on!" she said loudly while pulling him along with her. She then shouted towards a growing crowd of onlookers who were taking pictures and videos of what was happening with their cameras. **"Could at least one of you morons call the police and an ambulance before you update your anti-social fucking media?!"** she screamed at everyone.

* * *

"Do you know what you're doing Ryouko?" he asked while sitting on the back of the open trunk of her car while she put on a latex glove from her first aid kit, she then placed a clean cloth over the stab wound and a held it there tightly. "No idea what so ever…" she groaned sarcastically.

Eyeing his now exposed chest after getting his shirt off and letting the top of his work suit hang behind him, she couldn't not notice the many wounds which had been inflicted upon him in the past. Stabs, gunshots, burns, and deep lacerations.

"Looks like this isn't the first time for you," she said while looking at a particularly nasty one right over his heart. "How are you even still alive?"

"That's a very good question…" he said with a long sigh while taking off the jeweled necklace he was wearing and moving it into his pocket. Ostensibly so it would be out of the way.

"I guess the life of an aid worker is rougher than I imagined," she remarked coldly.

 _She doesn't believe a word she just said… She's not an idiot. Don't treat her like one._

"The bad guys very seldom allow you to go help their victims, just now was a good case in point," he said to her.

 _It's not a lie. It's very true in fact._

"Umm… Thank you for helping me and Yoshinon," said the quiet little girl standing behind Ryouko.

"Yeah! That was so cool! You two are like superheros!" said the white puppet.

Ryouko and Shirou both turned their gaze to the the girl and her puppet in surprise.

"You totally saved us from those losers! They were messing with Yoshino the way grown men aren't supposed to mess with little girls if ya know what I mean. When I told them off they started doing what you kicked their asses for!" the puppet said.

"Umm… Yes… Thank you very much," the girl said after the puppet she was holding.

"She's a ventriloquist?" Shirou wondered aloud.

"Pretty good one too," remarked Ryouko while still holding the cloth over Shirou's stab wound. She then turned her eyes back to his injury and lifted the bandage off. "The good news is that it doesn't look very deep. The bad news is it'll still need stitches. Want me to do it for you or would you rather wait for the ambulance?"

"Don't you have to be getting back to work?" asked Shirou with a raised eyebrow.

Ryouko them smacked him upside the head with her free hand. "Don't be an idiot. We still have to deal with the police. I have subordinates who can cover for me."

"What about her?" asked Shirou while gesturing to the little girl with his eyes.

"Oh yeah… Umm. What was your name again?" she asked her.

"My name is Yoshinon!" exclaimed the puppet.

"And what's her name?" asked Ryouko calmly with a smile.

"I'm Yoshino…" she answered shyly.

"Yoshino and Yoshinon. I got it. Where are your parents? Since they haven't shown up in a panic looking for you from the crowd, I'm going to go ahead and guess you're here by yourself?"

Yoshino looked away from Ryouko and the puppet said nothing. It was in that moment, for only a split second, Shirou could sense the slightest hint of something off about the girl. It was faint, subtle, but he'd been around it enough to know it, even in an instant.

 _Like theirs. She's a spirit. She's somehow masking her power though. That's probably why the mecha-mecha… Now I'm doing it too… It's why Ryouko's soldiers aren't coming after her. They can't detect her like they could with Tohka._

"Shirou would you mind?" she asked while gesturing to the cloth she was holding over his wound.

"No problem. I'll try not to bleed on your car," he said while replacing her hand on the wound to continue applying pressure.

Ryouko knelt down to be on eye level with the kindest face she could wear for her. "So you're all alone here?"

The little girl nodded.

"How did you get here? Do you know where your house is?"

The girl said nothing. But looked visibly saddened.

That was when Shirou sensed it again. Whatever she was doing to mask her presence probably took a lot of concentration which this line of questioning was breaking.

"Ryouko…" said Shirou in a low voice which got her to stand up and lean close to him to listen. "I've seen this kind of thing before. The way she's acting. I've been there myself. So has Kotori. And a lot of kids I've seen around the world… Something happened to her she doesn't want to talk about. Don't press it."

"I kinda sensed that… Origami is like that too sometimes. I should probably tell the police to run a background check on her or something when they get here. We can't just leave her like this."

Shirou nodded, "I'm not saying we should. But do you think that's really the best thing for her? She'll probably be thrown into an orphanage somewhere. I can bring her home with me and look after her."

"No Shirou. I kinda took responsibility when I got us involved. I should be the-"

"Ryouko. We both involved ourselves. Besides. You work almost all day every day. I have a big house and a lot of support."

"Don't argue with me Shirou. Origami and I can look after her until we figure something out."

"Do you really think you can look after a little girl like her?" asked Shirou skeptically.

"Do you doubt me?" she asked him back in a firmer voice.

"Yeah, kind of," he said while glancing to where the little girl had been standing.

Ryouko looked to see that she was gone. In a panic she started running around searching the parking lot.

 _Some kind of innate teleportation spell… That was damned impressive. I barely even sensed the mana surge when she did it._

* * *

Kotori closed her eyes and focused on the mana running through her magic circuits, when it was ready she ignited the wick and shattered the glass top of the lamp.

"This is what happens every time. I only ever get maybe, one in thirty right," she explained to the other spirit.

Tohka put a hand to her chin and considered the matter. "I don't get what you're trying to do. When I use my powers it's easy. I just feel the energy around me and give it form before doing something with it. It's easy."

Kotori took a deep breath and tried to explain it all again. "Alright… I don't know if I'm really competent enough to take you through the entire process of every little thing I do in a way which you'd understand… But… I take power into my magic ci-"

"Yeah yeah. I got that the first time. I'm not a dummy, dummy," said Tohka with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Dummy?! Who're are you to-" Kotori took a very deep breath. "Alright… If you get all of it. Then why don't you tell me what I'm doing wrong?"

"Pretty much everything… You're just making it all too complicated. You're trying to make it happen there first instead of here. That's the difference between what I do and what you're doing."

"How can that be? There's only one way to enact a mystery and that's by using your magic circuits to-"

"To carry the magical energy into the 'system'. Yeah yeah. I paid attention. Like I said I'm not a dummy!"

"Well pardon me for stating the obvious but the evidence to the contrary is quite against you there Tohka!"

"Grrah! I don't know anything about the world or how humans behave or any of that kind of stuff but I do know how to pay attention and learn stuff! So stop thinking of me as stupid child you little dummy!"

"Little dummy?"

"You're smaller than me, so you're a 'little dummy' dummy!"

"Alright then you big dummy! Why don't you tell me then what I'm suppose to do to control my powers!"

"Hmph! Fine, now you pay attention and learn you little dummy!"

"Hmph! Fine I will!"

Tohka held out her finger towards one of the lamps and started gathering her power on her finger tip. "I can't make fire, but I can cut stuff up really good! So… Take off the glass. I'll cut the little rope things."

"Wicks…" Kotori grumbled while doing as Tohka asked. She removed the glass covers from three of the lamps and then stood back beside Tohka. "Go ahead then."

Tohka nodded and then with a slash of her finger to the air sent a thin line of purple energy out towards the targets. All three were sliced and the energy immediately dissipated after impact before it could strike anything it wasn't meant to.

"I could sense you're using mana the same way I am. But I can't understand what you're doing differently."

"Isn't it obvious little dummy? First make the fire. Then control the fire. You're trying to make it do what you want after it's already done what it wants! If I tried to make this happen anywhere but on myself first it'll do all kinds of craziness!"

Kotori blinked at Tohka.

 _That doesn't make any damn sense! But could that really be it? Was that what I've been missing all along? It just can't be that simple!_

Kotori looked down at her hand and closed her eyes, she drew in the mana and flooded her magic circuits, a ball of fire then erupted into her hand and she held it there.

"Good. Now make it do what you want it do. Don't think of it as a power flow, or a system, or whatever. Think of it as… I don't know, just boss it around!"

"Boss it around? I guess I can do that," Kotori closed her eyes and then held out the flames towards the lanterns stacked up before her, she visualized them in her mind's eye, she felt anger rising in her as she continued to flood herself with power to maintain the flames. "Ignite those wicks damn it they've been pissing me off for too long!"

Suddenly her flame erupted into streams of fire which all jumped from the single ball and into the wicks.

When Kotori opened her eyes it was to find all the lanterns burning steadily, completely undamaged. "I did it! Finally! I did it! Pfah! Screw you lanterns! How did you all like that huh?!"

"Yay! You can be Kotori again instead of 'little dummy' now!" said a smiling Tohka while clapping her hands.

Kotori breathed in and out with her teeth clenched and a big smirk on her face. "That felt so good… What else can I do? Teach me Tohka! Teach me!"

"I really don't know Kotori. I just take my power and make it do whatever I need it to do. I can use it to cut, I can use it to smash, I can use it to protect, I can use it to fly…"

"Fly? You can fly?" asked Kotori while turning her scary looking grin onto Tohka which had the woman sweat drop nervously.

"Uhh…Yeah... Something I just did when the mecha-mecha squad came for me one time. I was so annoyed that they could fly but that I couldn't so I just jumped up and started flying… But it's not really flying it's more like..."

"More like what?" Kotori asked in an almost demanding tone.

"Falling and not hitting the ground. I just use this energy to basically stand on. I'm not actually making myself fly, I'm making it fly for me. If that makes sense?"

Kotori blinked, "It does actually… Hot air rises… So if I…"

Kotori closed her eyes and visualized while conjuring up two more fireballs in both of her hands.

 _Boss it around… When I think of it as something to be ordered around instead of something to be manipulated with elegance and precision… It actually works. I can feel the fire responding to me._

Kotori commanded the flames to take form around her in a spherical shape. "It needs to be bigger… But there isn't enough room in here. Let me try something else instead. Last thing I need to do is accidentally fly out of the Bounded Field and bring the mecha-mecha squad to us..." she said while pulling the flames back into her hands where she allowed them to fizzle out.

 _It's like the fire is part of me. It's so easy to control it. Why did I never pick up on this before now?_

"Wait a moment. You said you figured out you could fly because you were angry that the mecha-mecha squad could fly and you couldn't. Right?"

"Yes. That's what I said. Why? Is it important?"

"It could be Tohka… It really could be. What else did you just figure out you could do because of the fights you were in?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Shirou and Ryouko were driving around the area after giving statements and contact information to the police and having Shirou's wound examined by the paramedics who determined Ryouko's first aid was sufficient but advised him to see a doctor later for a professional follow up.

The army captain then insisted they search for the little girl and despite Shirou's doubts that they would find her again, she still refused to simply give up. He found it highly admirable. It was also worth noting that she respected his judgement enough not to drive him to a hospital for that follow up immediately. Either that or she trusted her own training. Possibly both. Whichever it was, he was glad she had a good head on her shoulders.

"Where around here would a little girl like her go?" she wondered aloud.

Shirou closed his eyes and scratched his chin as if he were thinking about it. In reality he was trying to sense her spirit powers. It was a long shot but if she slipped again, he might pick it up.

He didn't expect to detect anything, but he did. Subtle, faint, but definitely the same.

"If you keep going up this road we'll reach a residential area. If I remember, there was a playground somewhere in the middle of it. That might be worth a shot."

"You know this area well?" she asked.

He pointed out the window with his thumb as they drove by a large house. "That was my wife's former home. So yes. I know the area."

"I'm sorry…" she said with a flinch.

"It's alright. I'm focused on the task at hand. Besides, if it's worth anything. She probably would have liked you. You have a few things in common with her."

"Like what?"

 _You've both tried your hardest to kill me?_

Shaking off his first thought, he gave voice to his second, "You're both immovable when you've made up your mind to do something. When you have a goal, there's nothing that'll get in your way. Not if it knows what's good for it."

Ryouko laughed at that, "She sounds great. Wish I could have met her," she then bit her tongue and inhaled sharply, "Set a boundary for me Shirou. I knew coming into this that the fact that you're a widower would be an issue, and I feel like I'm being an insensitive idiot. I don't want you to think badly of me because I don't know how to touch this subject and I don't want to-"

"Stop it Ryouko. Don't do that to yourself. It isn't fair. I don't have to set a boundary for you because you have every right to ask anything you want to know about me. Don't feel like you're going to ask me the wrong question and make me think badly of you for it. That isn't going to happen. I loved Rin very much. Yes, it hurts to think about her. Yes it hurts to talk about her. But if you ever ask a question about something I can't or don't want to talk about, I'll just tell you and it won't be a big deal. Alright?"

"Alright. I just think it's better to be clear about these sorts of things…" she said while taking a turn and moving down a long street.

"Keep going up this road until we get there. And believe me Ryouko, making our feelings clear isn't going to be one of our problems. I think we made that abundantly clear to each other from the moment we met."

"Heh… Subtlety isn't something I'm good at. Sorry."

 _That's an understatement…_

"It's alright. I tend to be a bumbling idiot when it comes to girls I like. But with you… How to put this? You just let me by myself and I don't feel afraid of being stupid. I just wish I knew how to make you feel the same way with me."

"I do feel that way. It's just the one topic I don't want to screw around with is all… I like you too and I don't want to mess this up, I tend to mess up a lot of things I get involved in and I don't want you to be one of them," she said as they pulled up to the local playground for a look around.

"Instead of apologizing for things you haven't done wrong, let's just take it one day at a time and deal with any issues as they come up," he said while opening the door and stepping out to look around.

"Good idea," she said while doing the same. "I think it's a good sign that our first dispute was about whether or not to go straight to violence against those bullies. And that our second was about which of us would take care of a child in need,"

"I couldn't help but notice how much they pissed you off. It upset me to see it too, but you had murder in your eyes. You really hate bullies a lot don't you? They're a nuisance to everyone else, but you seem to utterly despise them."

"I do. There's nothing I hate more in this world than a person who only feels good about themselves when they're putting other people beneath them. I hate it!"

"Something tells me there's a story behind that," he observed with caution.

"I'll tell you one day. We have something else to focus on," she said while looking ahead to the little girl they'd been searching for. She was sitting on a swing and conversing with her puppet.

The two slowly walked up to her and examined their surroundings. There was nobody else around that they could see. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon there were no other children here to play. Shirou was immediately on edge. Something just felt wrong to him. From the look on Ryouko's face, something had set her on edge as well and their eyes met, silently acknowledging that fact to each other.

As they drew closer from behind the girl, Ryouko spoke gently to her, "Yoshino?"

The girl quickly stood up and started backing away from them. "Please… Don't hurt me."

Ryouko and Shirou both stopped in place and put their hands up in a non-threatening manner. "Of course we're not going to hurt you. What would give you that idea?" said Ryouko.

"We just want to talk with you. That's all."

"Oh sure! That's what they all say! But people only ever try to hurt her. Yoshino's never hurt anyone or done anything bad to anyone, but they all wanna hurt her anyway! Well I ain't gonna let ya!" the puppet aggressively exclaimed.

"We need to calm her down. Go one at a time. You first," Shirou said to Ryouko, she nodded while he stepped back and she took a step forward.

"I'm really not here to hurt her Yoshinon. Please believe me. I just want to help her if I can. That's all. I promise you. It's true."

"The scary girl said you'd come here! She said you two would never give up. But she also said you can't protect Yoshino. That you never could no matter how hard you tried. She said things would be very bad if you got involved so it was better if you just left her alone. And I agree! So just go away!" demanded the puppet.

"I can't… I can't just leave her here alone. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that. So please. I just want to talk to you," she said after finally standing a comfortable distance from them and kneeling down to be at eye level. "So please tell me. Who's the 'scary girl' you mentioned? How does she know us and what did she tell you about us?"

"She said not tell you…" Yoshino spoke softly.

"That's alright. You don't have to if you don't want to," she said in the softest and kindest voice she could muster.

Yoshino looked at her puppet for a long moment, "Yohinon? Can I tell them a little?"

"If you really want to. I won't stop you. But just be careful…" the puppet replied.

The little girl nodded while Shirou cautiously approached and knelt down beside Ryouko.

"She was scary but she wasn't bad. She saved me from the people who were trying to hurt me. Then she took me away again while you two were talking about me. She told me about you both. She seemed to know a lot about you. She said you would try to help me. She said you were nice people but she said you wouldn't be able to. She said if you tried, it would only make things worse. So please…"

Ryouko and Shirou looked at each other curiously for a moment, "Yoshino. There wasn't anyone else there except for the three of us?"

Yoshinon then spoke in her place, "Yeah, she didn't want you to see her. But she really did know a lot about you Shirou Emiya and Ryouko Kusakabe."

"Did we give her our names?" asked Shirou to which Ryouko shook her head.

Shirou felt his heart pumping in his throat as he turned his gaze back to the little girl and her puppet. "Who is she?"

"She didn't tell us…" said Yoshino in a low voice. "But she said that if you wouldn't go away, that we should say something about… What were the names?"

Yoshinon then took over speaking, "Oh yeah! Kotori and Origami!"

Shirou and Ryouko's eyes both widened in shock. "You have to tell us who she is Yoshino! Please!" she cried out.

"She didn't tell us. Didn't we already tell you that?" said the puppet.

Before the conversation could go any further there was a noise from the sky above them. A sound Ryouko and Shirou both immediately identified.

"CR Units…" she muttered almost inaudibly before turning to look up and see two people she didn't recognize. A teenage boy and girl.

Sirou eyed them both over carefully. Their equipment was drastically different from the ones used by Ryouko's troops and the others he fought before. The girl's was black with yellow glowing lines running through it, her armored feet were like a bird's talons. The boy's was white with blue glowing lines through it. She was armored like a flying tank and he seemed built for speed. They each seemed to favor close combat weaponry which didn't bother Shirou at all. They would be in for a rude awakening if they wanted to pick a fight here.

"Onii-chan! You see? I told you we'd find her here!"

"You win Mana. I'll make you whatever you want to eat. But why would the Hermit come here?"

"Who cares? Let's just tag her and bag her already," said the girl.

Shirou stood up protectively over Yoshino. "Ryouko, who the hell are these two?"

"What makes you think I'd know?!" she exclaimed while standing up and moving behind Yoshino with her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Identify yourselves!" she yelled up at them.

The two flyers gently landed on the ground and Shirou managed to get a closer look at them now. Each had dark blue hair and brown eyes. The boy's hair was scruffy and unkempt, probably due to flying around more than a lack of maintenance. The girl's was tied up in a ponytail similar to Ryouko's. But they were siblings without a doubt.

"Who are these two Shido? They shouldn't be here! The territory is suppose to make people want to avoid being here now..."

 _Territory? The way she describes the effect it sounds like she's talking about a Bounded Field..._

"No idea sis… But you know the rules. No witnesses," he said while deploying two parts of his backpack onto his arms while the girl unfolded a large sword from her back into her right and loosely held out another large… Something attached to her arm with a purpose Shirou couldn't quite make out. But her sword was a physical one, and one which he could trace if he needed to.

"I'm Captain Ryouko Kusakabe of the Ground Forces AST! Who are you kids? Where did you get those Realizers?!"

The girl nodded her head, "I'm Adeptus Three, and this is Adeptus Two. We're Mana and Shido Takamiya. DEM Special Sorcery Service."

"I've never heard of you… But Adeptus… That I have heard before… Adeptus Five" she said through clenched teeth while holding the girl she was protecting closer to her.

"Origami Tobiichi was Adeptus Five, the one who left us for the army... " said the boy with a quick nod. "So you're the one she ended up with. Too bad. She must really like you to have turned her back on the Triple S."

Ryouko stared daggers at the two kids in front of her. "We're all supposed to be on the same side here!"

The two shook their heads. "We have our orders. Anyone involved with the Hermit has to die too. Sorry," the young girl said in response.

"Ryouko… They're not on your side. They're here for her," said Shirou while holding his hands out to his sides and mentally preparing something to trace. Something serious which could breach the shields he knew this equipment could produce.

"Is that true? What do you want with this girl?!" she demanded.

"She's a Spirit the AST is too incompetent to deal with. We're here to clean up after you."

"A spirit? Her?! Impossible there wasn't a spacialquake or any spirit wave reactions!"

"Ryouko… They're not here to debate. They're going to try and kill us both along with her. But what they said is true. She is a Spirit. You need to pick a side now. I can protect us if you can protect her."

"Shirou? What are you saying?"

"Wait. Shirou?" the boy said with a blink while holding out a glowing sword to point at him. "I thought I recognized you. Are you Shirou Emiya?!"

"Yes… I am…" he answered cautiously while Ryouko looked even more confused.

"Dude. You're like required reading for us! Oh man this is the best day ever!"

"You think we should test ourselves against him onii-chan? See how we measure up?"

"Hell yes I do! This is gonna be so great! We can get the Hermit any time, but you only get a chance like this once in a lifetime!"

"So you two know who I am and what I've done and want a duel against me then? Is that right?"

Shido and Mana both eagerly nodded.

"I'll agree on one condition. If you win, you don't hurt them," he said while gesturing to Ryouko and Yoshino. "Is that acceptable?"

"I guess he already knows he won't be able to put a scratch on us…" said Shido with disappointment.

"We can't accept those terms. We still have our mission. Sorry," the girl added.

"Oh really? Not even a scratch you say? Let's see if I can make one then. On each of you. If I do that. You both go away. Is that acceptable?"

"That we can accept!" the boy said proudly.

"I can respect that! Let's do it onii-chan!"

"Gathering Cloud Sword Style!" they said in unison.

"Shirou! What're you thinking?! You're not a soldier?! You're not even armed! You have no idea what that equipment they're using is capable of!"

Shirou turned around and grinned to her. "I assure you Ryouko. I'm better armed than any modern military you can think of. Just stick with Yoshino and protect her. I'll handle this. Then… We'll have a lot to talk about," he said before he took off running at the siblings who in turn started hovering just above the ground and started encircling him with their respective swords ready.

Shirou held out his hands and traced the swords he'd selected for this fight. This wasn't just a duel. It was an opportunity. One to learn everything he could about the equipment they use and how to effectively counter them.

The siblings then rushed him from the front and back.

"Trace on!" he said while tracing Kanshou and Bakuya. The best way to start a fight is at one's best. He then ducked down and rolled back along the floor and allowed the two siblings to intercept each other for him.

The boy was using two swords attached to his arms, while the girl used a single long sword. He could block her easily, the boy would probably fight similar to how he would fight and would require more of an effort to counter effectively. The energy swords were his biggest concern. He couldn't trace and comprehend them.

The siblings easily avoided each other but in the time it took them to correct their movements and begin their counterattack he'd already started moving to exploit the opening and locked swords with the young girl. Shirou had to admit, for someone so young, probably the same age as Kotori, she knew exactly what she was doing. She pulled back and re-engaged. She didn't delude herself into thinking she could overpower a bigger and much more experienced fighter. She used her disadvantages of height and strength as assets. With enhanced speed from her gear she crossed swords with Shirou Emiya and came out even. To her greatest credit though, she didn't just stay and push back like he thought she would. She withdrew and opened the way for her brother who came rushing in at high speed with his swords ready to swing.

Shirou rolled to his left to move out of the way but the girl had already started moving to intercept him where he would end up. Again he blocked her with both of his swords, and again she withdrew.

Shirou anticipated another attack from her brother and quickly rolled forward to engage the girl again, repeatedly crossing blades several times in a short space before she again retreated from him. A moment later her brother came in and engaged in close combat. The boy wasn't stronger, or faster than Shirou was. But he wasn't stupid. His technique was aggressive, but not reckless. He attacked with one, and blocked with the other. He didn't over extend himself or take any chances.

A moment later he disengaged and in came the sister with an attempt to impale him on her sword. Then they switched places again, and again. They had a strategy, it worked for them, they executed it flawlessly. They adapted to the situation as it changed. Switched places, pulled feints, but never pressed too hard, they would not allow themselves to be caught in a disadvantageous position. Shirou would have to work hard to create one for them.

 _They're amazing. The way they fight. You can feel the unconditional love and trust they have for each other. Their attacks are perfectly coordinated and synchronized without the need for any cues from the other. They just instinctively know what to do to set up and execute their attacks for each other. It's just like when I'm fighting beside Ciel._

Shirou glanced over at where he felt the boy would strike from but instead of an attack he held his position in the air. Shirou was about to make his next move when he was suddenly entombed in a sphere of green light.

 _What's this? He projected his shield away from himself and onto me.._

Shirou looked up at the boy while striking the shield with his swords. It wouldn't penetrate.

"Sorry Emiya-sama! I guess you didn't realize we can deploy our territories onto our targets and trap them. This is checkmate!" the boy said to him.

Shirou looked over at the girl and saw the large thing attached to her arm was a long range weapon, and by the way it was charging, it was an energy weapon, probably a very powerful one.

The boy saw Shirou muttering something.

"What's that Emiya-sama? Are you begging for your life? I can't wait to tell the others about that!"

" **Imbecile! I said 'dodge this' fly boy!"**

"Big brother look out!" the girl cried out while rushing towards her elder sibling. All thoughts of shooting at Shirou now gone from her mind.

The boy heard something coming at him from behind and quickly turned around to redeploy his shield onto himself, but it was too late. A second set of Kanshou and Bakuya came flying through the air behind him and struck him, cutting into his sides before passing him by.

Shirou threw the swords he was wielding up at them both but the girl used the large cannon on her left arm to block them both before returning fire with it. Shirou started jumping and rolling around in the air and ground to avoid the shots while allowing all his swords to dissolve and then tracing his bow and a Black Key.

"Amazing…" Ryouko and Yoshino said together while watching him fight.

Shirou morphed the Black Key into an arrow and loaded it into his bow and as he landed took a kneeling position while drawing the bow before releasing it at the young girl floating in the air protectively shielding her wounded brother.

"Protect Territory deploy!" she cried out which activated her shield around herself, but the Black Key simply went through it and into her shoulder which in turn caused both siblings to fall down and hit the ground between Shirou and Ryouko.

Shirou traced another set of his two favorite swords as he approached them.

 _I guess now I know where Archer learned those moves he used against Caster back then..._

When he was close enough, he raised up his swords for one final strike before pausing.

He saw the boy, bleeding, battered, and broken holding his unconscious sister under his body to protect her while staring into Shirou's eyes with nothing short of pure hatred.

The tall copper haired man, bleeding from the wound he received earlier which he'd reopened during the fight, but otherwise unharmed by them, looked into the boy's eyes and silently acknowledged him with respect while slowly lowering his weapons and allowed them to dissolve.

 _They'll come back, again, and again, and again… But I can't kill them… Not after what I just saw. I won't be that man…_

"Not going to finish us?!" the boy spat at the man.

"I said I would make one scratch on each of you. My objective here was to protect them from you. My policy is to avoid unnecessary fighting. Besides. I respect you both. The way you fight tells me everything I need to know about who and what you are. You're not my enemies. No matter how hard you may try to be."

"What do you mean?" the boy asked. "We tried to kill you!"

"Yes, of course you did. But neither of you were willing to sacrifice the other for the sake of victory. You fight together, and you die together. There's no middle ground for you in that. The love you each have for the other shows in every move you make. There are beings greater than all of us who'd break down and weep tears at the beauty of such a fighting technique."

"So you're just going to let us go? Even though you know we'll come back stronger and more prepared?" he asked of Shirou.

"You can come back as many times as you want and I'll fight you off as many times as I have to. But I'm not going to become the _thing_ I'm fighting against. That's almost happened to me recently. But never again. The way you two fought just now reminded me of what it was I'm striving for, and where it was I deviated from my path. I owe you for that. Now take your sister, and go."

The boy got up onto his knees and picked up his little sister into his arms before activating his jetpack and taking flight.

Ryouko slowly walked up to Shirou with Yoshino beside her, there she folded her arms and glared at him.

Shirou gulped and and turned to fully face her. With one hand he scratched the back of his head while mustering up his signature charming smile. "Well… I suppose it's time for that talk…"

"Yes. But first…" she said while poking the stab wound in his shoulder and making him wince in pain. "I have to restitch you!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Shirou and Ryouko were driving with Yoshino sitting in the back seat. Though it was a bit cramped for her, Shirou did his best to give her as much legroom as he could in the sports car, by denying himself as much of the same as he possibly could.

"You realize how big of a problem this is for me right?" groaned Ryouko without taking her eyes off the road.

"It's only as big of a problem as you make it. Before you knew what she was you were fully prepared to take her into your home. I don't see why that feeling should change in light of this new information."

"She's a Spirit… Fighting them is what I do Shirou!"

"Does she really look like something evil you need to destroy with a big gun and high explosives?"

"What they look like doesn't matter... There's one spirit out there who's killed over ten thousand people with her own hands. That doesn't include spacialquake deaths. Anyone who's ever seen her calls her 'astonishingly beautiful' but she's still one of, if not the most dangerous spirits!"

"Well… Yoshino could have attacked us at any moment she felt threatened by us but she didn't. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"It's the reason she's sitting in the back of my car right now so yes it obviously does! But that's still a good question…" she turned her head to look back, "Why didn't you try to just fight us off Yoshino? You probably could have easily made us go away yourself if you wanted to?"

Yoshino's gaze was locked on her feet while she mustered up her answer, when she spoke it was in a small shy voice, "The thing is… I don't like pain. Or being scared. I can't stand it. I bet everyone hates those things though… How could they not? Any creature that feels has to despise them. Don't you think so?"

Ryouko's grip on her wheel tightened so much her knuckles started turning white.

 _It's a sad thing to watch someone's world view come crashing down around them... But Ryouko somehow makes it look beautiful. Even at a time like this I'm thinking about her this way? The hell is wrong with me?_

"I know so…" said Shirou in response to the girl.

"Then again I'm just a big scaredy cat. When I'm scared, I freeze up. I can't think. Or move. Or speak. I'm so afraid. It's like I can't do anything at all. Except stand there hoping someone will save me."

Ryouko's teeth clenched as she listened to the girl speaking in her soft gentle voice.

"It's awful. If I wasn't such a coward I might be able to fight back when the flying people come to hurt me. But I am. Always have been. The truth is I'm nothing like the scary girl. When we were in danger, she was right there by our side. She said that she would be our hero. She gave me the courage I could never have on my own. She's strong, brave, and fearless, she's my hero. She beat up all of the bad people and took us somewhere we would be safe. She taught me how to make it so they wouldn't be able to find me again, and that way I'd never have to fight."

Shirou and Ryouko's teeth clenched tightly as she said her piece before going quiet again.

"I think I'm going to have to rethink my life…" muttered Ryouko.

"Can't argue with that. You're dating me. Good life choices don't seem to be your strong point."

"Very funny…" she growled out half heartedly. "I still want to know who this girl is you keep mentioning. How does she know Origami and Kotori?"

"We don't know. We told you everything she told us," the puppet said for her.

"What does she look like?" asked Shirou.

"Scary. Really. Scary," the puppet said in a shivering and fearful voice.

"She was scary… But she was also kind and gentle. She was patient. I told her I might never be able to learn what she was teaching me, but she said that time was all she had and that she'd give me as much of it as I needed," the girl added after her puppet.

"I suppose we can talk about this later… We're almost to your house Shirou. What are you going to tell them when we go inside? Just so our stories match."

"I find the truth is usually the best thing. Kotori has a very sensitive bullshit detector. She's like her mother in that."

"So you tell your daughter all your little secrets? Is that smart?" asked Ryouko with a raised brow.

"Hello pot… Meet my dear friend kettle," snarked Shirou.

"What is that suppose to mean?!" she barked at him.

"Origami is a member of the AST isn't she? I don't bring Kotori into my battles with me. Except the other night, but I kept her far away from the actual fighting… She just gave us tech support."

"Right… I don't know how you know that but before we go into it, I demand you make us a good and proper meal. All this drama has given me an appetite! Then. We're going to be having a lot of words!" she said while exiting the car.

"Yes ma'am!" yelled Shirou in his best soldier impression while helping Yoshino out of the back seat.

* * *

Ciel and Kotori looked around the crowded table in confusion while everyone ate in the awkward silence which passed over them. Tohka, for the first time since they'd known here was eating slowly. Her eyes never leaving Ryouko for more than an instant at a time. Shirou looked more tense than anyone had ever seen him. Yoshino and Len simply sat quietly at the end of the table and ate in companionable silence, seemingly oblivious to the tension around them.

 _Thank all that's good in the world Aunt Tiger is still avoiding this place right now… If she were here awkward silence would give way to nuclear war..._

After the awkward lunch, Shirou brought out tea for everyone and served it politely before resuming his usual seat.

"Right… Now that I've eaten. I can try to carry a civilized conversation…" said Ryouko before sipping from the hot tea and then looked straight at Tohka. "So you're the one we call 'Princess' and your name is Tohka. And you're living here with Shirou and his family?"

Tohka nodded, "I didn't know you called me that. It sounds dumb. I like Tohka much better. Even if it's just a silly number, miss leader of the mecha-mecha squad," she said with no small amount of child like petulance while still keeping a stern gaze on the other woman.

"It's the day we met…" Kotori huffed disappointedly.

Ryouko raised an eyebrow at that, "Mecha-mecha? Huh?"

"It's what she calls you and your soldiers… It's catchy," said an amused Shirou.

"Right… And you. I'm sorry. Are you a spirit too?" she asked the woman dressed like a nun.

Ciel shook her head, "My name is Ciel, and sorry to disappoint you, but I am thankfully once again entirely mortal."

"Once again?" asked Ryouko with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a very long story which I don't want to talk about. All you need to know about me is that I like to go out and hurt things you couldn't dream up in your worst nightmares, and I will do whatever it takes to protect my family. Including this idiot," Ciel said with a calm and sweet voice while patting Shirou on the back much harder than her tone would suggest she should have.

Ryouko rubbed her forehead roughly. "I'm going to start getting a migraine here… This is all just took much to process all at once. So Kotori is also a mage?"

Kotori quickly nodded, "I'm not very good. But yes. I am!"

 _Yes. I'm just a magus, and nothing but a magus…. If anyone spills the rest to her I'm going to be really pissed off!_

"Does Origami know this about you?"

Kotori shook her head, "No way. A magus does not talk about their secrets. That's rule number one. But what I really wanna know now, is why pops thinks it's ok to break that rule with you right now…"

All eyes were suddenly on Shirou making him scratch his head sheepishly. Ten minutes of story telling interrupted only by several increasingly violent and painful beatings from Ciel later, Shirou had finished retelling the details of their day.

"I've said it before… And I'll say it again Shirou… You're an idiot," said Ciel before smacking Shirou across the top of his head, "But you know this…"

"Ciel… Why are you hitting me so much?!"

Ciel smacked him across the back of his head and then on the top of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being a dope! You know perfectly well why I'm trying to knock some bloody sense into your stupidly thick skull!"

Ryouko sighed and covered her face with her hands, "I've known about magic and the like for a while now. Ever since I started training to use a Combat Realizer to fight spirits. I just never met an actual mage before now."

"Combat Realizer?" asked Shirou and Ciel.

"The equipment we use when we fight the spirits. Like the gear those kids wore today," explained Ryouko.

Shirou and Ciel looked at each other and then at Ryouko. "Could you tell us a bit about this equipment?"

Ryouko shook her head, "I can't… I shouldn't have even told you they exist. But... After today, I don't know. I just slipped a little… Look. I want to be as open and honest with you as you've been with me. But I can't for the simple reason that I don't know what you plan to do with this information."

"Ryouko I only-" started Shirou.

" **I'm still talking!"** she snapped. "Sorry… I'm just a little high strung right now."

"Just a little?" he wondered aloud.

"A teeny tiny bit… Yes. Anyway. As I was about to say. I've been around and seen my fair share Shirou," she said while gesturing to the walls around her, pointing to each one as she named the places they were taken in, "Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, Colombia, Mexico... And those are just the ones I recognize off the top of my head. I know damn well what goes on in those places. You're no aid worker. You've traveled from one hell hole to the next. I've seen the scars on your chest today…"

"I'm not going to deny anything to you. Except to say that we really did travel to those places to help and protect people…"

"I don't doubt that Shirou. But you've chosen a side here. If I tell you about our capabilities, and one of my soldiers gets hurt because of it? Just the other day we had a battle in the park and got our asses handed to us by the person sitting at the same table and glaring daggers at me…"

Tohka was about to speak when Shirou put up his hand to volunteer himself to speak, "That wasn't her in the park Ryouko… That was actually me."

 _I guess the first ones we ran into weren't her soldiers… At least I hope they weren't… If she doesn't say anything, I shouldn't either._

"What?!" she said while staring hard into his golden eyes.

Shirou nodded, "I caused that explosion to make you think Tohka had vanished so you'd stop chasing us. We didn't want to hurt any of you. Our business that night was with DEM."

Ryouko glared at him, "That was you? 'I am the bone of my sword' that was you?!"

Shirou nodded while Ciel glanced away awkwardly at what she knew was probably coming.

Ryouko covered her face and groaned into her hands while falling back so she was laying on the floor where she screamed into her hands. "You could have killed us!"

"Actually… I knew your shields would protect you from anything short of a direct hit from-"

"That's not even what I'm pissed off about!" she yelled from the floor at the roof.

"What are you pissed off about then?" Shirou timidly asked.

"I'm pissed off that I was trying to kill you because I was pissed off that I had to cancel my date with you and I'm even more pissed off that you heard everything I yelled that night!"

Ciel rolled her eyes, "Every woman in his life has tried to kill him at least once. Welcome to the club."

"Saber never tried to kill me… Though she did beat me up a lot. Also Kotori hasn't tried to kill me yet."

"There's still time…" Kotori said innocently.

"Wait a minute… So it wasn't an accident!" he said while standing up and pointing in Ciel's face. "You really did try to kill me when you stabbed me in the ass!"

"No that actually was an accident. But accidental or not Shirou. Every woman you know has physically assault you at least once. Besides. Shouldn't you take it as a good omen? Have any of us ever let you down after we tried to murder you?"

"So you did try to murder me!"

Ciel smiled sweetly at him, "No. But I will if you don't get your finger out of my face and sit down," she spoke in her sweetest and most innocent voice.

Shirou sighed and seated himself, "So what are you going to do? If another spirit shows up. Will you really be able to shoot first and ask questions later?" asked Shirou.

Ryouko slowly sat back up and faced everyone again, she considered his question, explored the angles, and finally voiced her thoughts. "I can't disobey my orders… But I do want some questions answered, if there's somewhere we can talk in private with Yoshino?"

Shirou shook his head, "I don't keep secrets from my family Ryouko. Especially not one like this," he said before turning to Yoshino. "Could you tell us everything again? About the 'scary girl' you talked about?"

Yoshino and Yoshinon both quickly shook their heads. "We shouldn't even be here! She said you can't protect us and it was better if we stayed away from you!" exclaimed the puppet.

Shirou just kept up a smile while everyone looked at the hooded girl curiously. "After what you saw today Yoshinon, do you really believe we can't protect you if we need to?"

"I don't know…" the girl said timidly.

"All we know is what she told us! And we already told you everything!" said the puppet.

"Could you take us through it one more time please? It's important," said Ryouko in the most gentle voice she could muster.

* * *

That night Shirou sat out on the veranda with his tea set enjoying the evening air now that he was finally able to properly relax from the day's events. It wasn't long after he sat down that Tohka came out and joined him, helping herself to a cup of tea as had become a nightly ritual for the two since that first night Shirou had set her worries at ease.

The two sat in companionable silence for a time, silently sipping their tea and looking up at the night sky.

"When you're sad, I feel sad too," said Tohka out of nowhere.

Shirou was caught by surprise, "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know everything about how humans behave. But I know you Shirou. You've been sad these past days. It's made Kotori sad, and Ciel, and Len, and me. None of us knew what to do to make you feel better. I hate that so much because you always make me feel happy, but I don't know how to do the same for you."

"I've just been a-"

"Don't lie to me Shirou. I hate lies. They feel so wrong. We all saw your bathroom. The broken mirror, the blood. And why do you color your hair?"

Shirou sighed into his tea before taking a sip, "That's complicated Tohka…"

"Ciel said it was because of what you said the other night. She said there's someone you're afraid of. But I don't believe that. You're not afraid of anyone!"

"That's not true. I'm afraid all the time. Being afraid is a perfectly natural thing. But you're right that I'm not afraid of other people. What I'm really afraid of Tohka… Is myself."

"Make me understand." She didn't say it. She demanded it.

"I don't know if I can…"

"Try… Seeing you in pain, and being powerless to do anything about it. It feels so bad I can't express it in words. I do not like this feeling at all. I can't imagine there are any worse feelings one could experience. Right now I feel like I want to do everything in my power to make certain nobody ever has to feel like this. Ever. It's too awful."

Shirou couldn't keep a smile off his lips, "I can just imagine Saber right now, it's as if she were standing right here in front of us. She'd be very proud of you right now."

"Saber is the woman who was your servant, in the Grail War? Right?"

"That's right yes."

"She fought for you. Protected you. And your wife."

"Back then she wasn't my wife yet. But yes. She protected us."

"Did you trust her?"

Shirou blinked, "Well yes. Of course I trusted her."

Tohka turned her head to Shirou. The look on her face set him immediately on edge...

 _Wow... she's mad._

"Then why can't you trust me? Do I have to become your servant for that?"

"It's complicated Tohka…"

"Uncomplicate it!"

Shirou breathed a heavy sigh and leaned back on his hands to turn his gaze up to the moon.

"I really can't. I want to. But I'm not ready to. I promise you though. When I am ready to talk about it. We'll sit down here like we always do, and I'll explain everything to you."

Tohka practically growled her response at him, "I will hold you to that promise Shirou. And I'll ask you to make me another. Stop making Kotori sad. Whatever it is that troubles you, do not allow it to trouble her!"

Shirou was caught off guard again, this time by her assertiveness. "I'd never want to do that. I'd never make her worry…"

"You've failed at that," she said while crossing her arms and looking away from him to glare furiously into the sky.

"You really care about Kotori don't you?"

Tohka nodded, "Yes. I care very much about Kotori. About Ciel. Len. And you Shirou. Even Taiga. I am certain I will come to care very much for Yoshino and Yoshinon soon as well. I do not want to see any of you hurting for any reason. If something harmed any of you I would inflict greater harm upon it without apology!"

"I believe you. That's why I trust you Tohka. I trust you to help protect our family."

Tohka's demeanor suddenly softened and she turned to look at Shirou again with growing wonder, "Our family?"

"You're a part of this family too. Did you ever think otherwise?"

"I don't know what I thought… But it feels nice to hear it put into words. Yes. I like this feeling much better than what I was feeling before. May I always be a part of this family then? Will I not ever have to go away?"

Shirou chuckled at her words, "Tohka… There are times I'll be sad, angry, annoyed… I might even say things to you I don't mean. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. You'll make mistakes as well. But one thing I'll never do is make you leave this home."

Tokha stood up and stepped out in front of Shirou where she extended a hand to him, "I want to believe you. I want to believe you more than anything. So do what you did with her. A 'pact' I think you called it."

"You want me to make a pact with you?"

"You said the 'pact' you had with Saber was an unbreakable contract. That even when the magic was severed and she became Rin's servant that she still remained loyal to you. I want to have that with you."

"It doesn't work that way Tohka… I can't actually contract you as my servant. You're not that kind of spirit."

"I know that dummy! I want to hear the words! That would be enough for me. To feel secure in my place here. I'm not your daughter, I'm not your sister, and I'm not your wife or your girlfriend. But I can be this. This way I have a place and I know what it is and how to fulfill it."

Shirou looked into her violet eyes for a long moment…

 _So full of determination and passion. I suppose we all need to know our place in the world… I can't deny her that. Hmm… Maybe I can start it with that instead of the other thing which just sounds wrong in this context?_

Shirou stood up as well and took her hand in his own, their eyes locked as she waited impatiently for him to say the words she wanted to hear.

"Hear me…" he started.

Ciel and Kotori meanwhile discreetly peeked out a window at the scene playing out, wondering what Tohka was so angry with him about.

"My will creates your place in this world, and your sword carves my destiny. I swear this oath. That I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world. If you heed my call, and submit yourself to my will and reason, then answer me, and hearing your answer, I will entrust my fate to your sword."

Tohka nodded firmly, "I accept!"

* * *

A week later Kotori was getting dressed and ready to go out. Staring into the mirror at her appearance to ensure every detail was exactly right. Kotori Emiya was a perfectionist like that.

She opted for a burgundy dress with simple black frills and ruffles, a black bow as its centerpiece. The cut of the dress would have made it a bit too much for the occasion so she wore it over a white long sleeved shirt that had some matching frills on the collar.

 _Why are so many of my cloths like this set? I really can't remember why I ended up with so many in this style… Maybe I can diversify my wardrobe a bit with Senpai today. Assuming she doesn't freak out right away..._

Kotori took a moment to dismiss all the notifications on her phone after reading each one.

 _Three spacequakes just happened around the world. That means three spirits are going to be fighting for their lives now… It's so unfair!_

She tightened her grip on the phone and stuffed it into her purse before walking over to the next room.

"Hey, Yoshino? May I come in?" she asked into the room.

"Yeah Kotori! Come on in!" she heard Yoshinon call out to her.

Kotori slid open the door just slightly to look inside, "I just wanted to see if my clothes fit you alright."

Yoshino slowly nodded while Yoshinon spoke enthusiastically, "She looks totally adorable in this doesn't she?"

"Yeah. She totally does! But something's missing…"

Kotori examined the girl before her for a long moment, besides the puppet which almost never left her hand, she was wearing a white ruffled dress highlighted with pink near the bottom and across the top. "Oh yeah! There's a matching hat! I totally forgot about it since I hate wearing hats… But it'll look so cute on you!" she said while rushing back to her room to fetch said hat.

A short time later they both came out into the living room where Shirou was sitting down with Ryouko. "We're all set to go," announced Kotori.

"Great! Origami will meet us there. Are you sure you don't want to join us Shirou?" she asked him with a sweet, and tempting smile.

Shirou sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I would. But Ciel and I have something to take care of. Something I can't put off…" he said while patting the black case beside him. "I'd feel a lot safer with this thing gone," he added.

"Is that the crystal thing?" she asked while curiously glancing at the case.

Shirou nodded. "You girls go have a nice day out. I trust you to take care and keep them out of trouble."

Kotori looked around, "Speaking of trouble… Where's Tohka?"

"She and Ciel were struggling to get Len to have a bath… She's changing again," Shirou said with an outward groan.

Kotori rolled her eyes, "Must have been an epic struggle. You know Tohka's really been taking the 'servant' thing seriously. Anything she can help with she's all over it… It's a good thing Len can do that 'fix anything' spell… Otherwise we'd have had to take all our showers with the garden hose..."

"I never in my life thought I'd take pity on a cockroach until that day…" said Shirou with a dry voice.

Ryouko blinked at their exchange but said nothing. Wisely deciding she was probably better off not knowing more.

A moment later loud footsteps came running into the living room and Tohka burst into the room and sighed with relief. "I thought you would have left without me by now…"

Kotori shook her head, "We'd never leave you behind Tohka. Ready to go?"

The violet haired woman nodded enthusiastically, " **Yeah! Let's go! Girl's day out! Yay!"**

Shirou face planted into the table, "Everyday is a girl's day in this house."

"By the way Pops… Next week the school's going to be reopened. Have you given any thought to maybe letting Yoshino attend?" asked Kotori.

Shirou picked up his head to look at her, he eyed her suspiciously, wondering if she was really serious. Turned out she really was.

"I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea… But the cost of getting her an identity is just beyond my means right now… I'd have to call in favors…"

"If you can… I don't think it's a bad idea either… She's proven she can be reliable when it comes to keeping her secret and not making any trouble. If there's anything I can do to help you with it, just ask. I'm more than sure Origami will feel the same after getting to know her,"

Shirou picked up his head and looked at the woman, "One other thing Ryouko…"

"What is it Shirou?"

"I've seen how you drive… Don't do that with the kids."

Ryouko stared at him, but Shirou felt more as if she were staring directly through him.

"What kind of idiot do you take me for?" she said flatly while standing up. As she passed by a picture of Rin and Kotori she looked into the woman's blue eyes and sighed, "How would you have dealt with this?"

"She's probably wondering the same thing herself…" said Kotori while passing her by on the way out with Tohka and Yoshino behind them.

* * *

Shirou, Ciel, and Len later arrived at the Church in New City. Shirou however stopped just a step short of crossing the gate onto the church grounds which drew a concerned look from Ciel and Len.

"Is something the matter Shirou?" asked Ciel while waking up to him.

"Bad memories in this place. That's all," he said without much feeling.

"It won't be that bad. We're just going to hand this over, get some information from them about the others like it, and be done here. We'll be right beside you the whole time," she said to him sweetly.

 _Archer… I don't know what your relationship with her was like, but if I ever remember something you did to her that I don't like... Then the next time I see you… I will slap your face… off your face!_

Shirou took a breath and a step forward, Ciel and Len both at his sides as promised.

Inside they were greeted by two members of the Holy Church, one was the new priest of what was once known as Kotomine Church, and the second was the one they were here to see, another member of the Burial Agency. There was also a third person leaning against a wall all the way in the back that nobody seemed to recognize. She had light blonde hair, and wore a black feminine business suit.

"Good day to you both," said Ciel as she stepped ahead to conduct the business at hand. Not paying any attention to the other woman in in the back.

"Do you have the Sephira Crystal?" the executor asked her in a no nonsense voice. There was also a trace of venom in his words which had Shirou going through the list of very sharp pointy things he wanted to use to teach the man some respect.

"Well yes, why else would we be here now?" she wondered while adjusting her glasses. By the way her hand shook, Shirou knew she was tempted to take them off and make a scene but was fighting with everything she had to restrain herself.

 _Why is she still involved with these people anyway? She should have quit a long time ago…_

"Hand it over please," he demanded.

"Do you have the information I asked you for?" she asked kindly.

The man stood there with his hand held out impatiently, which in turn caused Ciel to lose her own patience and finally took off her glasses and pocketing them. Meanwhile a number of other people stepped out of the back of the church, each was wearing what Shirou now knew to be a Combat Realizer. The woman standing behind and to the side took a couple steps forward and cast a level gaze on the scene unfolding before her.

"So… Before this becomes uncivilized, may I know what you're selling me out for?" Ciel asked calmly.

 _It's always something in this Church… Why don't I ever listen to my bad feelings?_

 _Ryouko mentioned those things weren't designed for indoor use… Which means they're probably very limited in here. They won't be able fly, that's for certain… Their shields will probably be limited by the space around them. Ryouko's troops were always in loose formation. I doubt it'd be very pretty if they got caught in each other's shields when they activated._

 _They're counting on intimidation. Those kids said I was required reading at DEM. Wouldn't they know it'll take a lot more than this to intimidate Ciel and I?_

The Priest withdrew from the scene while the other Executor and Ciel brought forth their Black Keys. Talking didn't seem to be what they were here to do.

"I guess DEM is sick of our meddling..." observed Shirou.

"Indeed. The Sephira Crystal was just the first straw," the woman started explaining. "After that it was a very expensive production matrix you destroyed, then it was a raid on one of our supply convoys, and then there was the incident with Adeptus Two and Three. We can't just ignore you anymore Shirou Emiya."

"Alright… The Crystal I won't deny. I also did beat up those two kids. But I had nothing to do with those other things you mentioned. Though I confess I do wish I did. Sounds like I owe someone out there a thank you."

"Why bother to deny it? The attacks were carried out using your exact modus operandi," the woman said with exasperation while giving a hand signal to her subordinates.

"I don't have a modus operandi. I just do whatever works…" he sighed while holding out his hand, "Kinda like I'm about to now..."

Ciel held her hands loosely at her side.

"Rho aias!" he yelled as the guns began to fire. Bullets harmlessly impacting the shield which appeared in front of himself and Ciel while the other Executor in front of it ducked and rolled out of the line of fire.

As the shooters began reloading Shirou allowed his shield to vanish and then traced a number of weapons above him and began launching them successively at them.

Meanwhile Ciel locked herself in combat with her now former colleague.

The suited woman then held her hand out to Shirou and suddenly he was enveloped in a shield. Then the swords above him instantly dissolved as he lost control of his own magic. "What the hell?!"

 _This didn't happen last time?!_

"Adeptus Two and Three aren't trained to fight enemy mages, just spirits. I on the other hand am a proper magus, and a DEM Wizard. My name is Ellen Mira Mathers. Adeptus One."

"Wizard? How pretentious…" Shirou groaned out as Ciel and the other executor stopped their fight to reassess their respective situations.

"And you're just as judgemental as your file said you'd be," she spat back at him.

"Judgemental? You can call it that. I just call it my extraordinary assessment skill."

"And what is your assessment of your present situation then? Trapped in my territory, cut off from any mana, and you're about to be shot in the face with assault rifles."

 _How is that even possible I wonder? How can this shield block me from accessing mana?_

"My professional assessment is that you are beyond incompetent…"

"How do you figure that Mr. Emiya?"

Shirou shrugged as Len leaped up onto the woman's face in her cat from, clawing and scratching. She screamed and tried to pull the creature off her head. The end result was that her shield collapsed form around him. "You forgot there were three of us who entered here."

 _I'm going to make Len the best cake I've ever baked in my life…_

Shirou could do nothing more than raise his shield again to protect himself from the hail of gunfire while Ciel fought viciously against the other Executor.

Ciel crossed blades again and again and again with the man until suddenly the side of his skull exploded in a gory mess and his body fell lifelessly to the ground. Ciel blinked. "Was that you Shirou?"

Suddenly the guns all stopped firing. Shirou very cautiously looked them over. Their attention had been drawn away from him and Ciel, and that concerned him greatly.

Ellen, after throwing Len off her face, looked up with blood pouring forth from the claw marks left on her to stare up at the roof of the church. "Not you again! Open fire on her quickly!"

Shirou and Ciel both ducked under the next storm of gunfire while looking up at the newcomer floating near the ceiling. She was a teenaged girl with long black hair tied in uneven twintails, one of her eyes was distinctly glowing yellow, she wore a black and glowing orange gothic style ruffled dress, and in her hands was a flintlock rifle which she was presently aiming and recocking.

Her mouth moved to say words he couldn't hear or read before she fired. Then she recocked, and fired again with speed so great her hand movement was just a blur between the hammer and the trigger. Somehow, her flintlock single shot rifle, was being fired as quickly as she could cock the hammer. He also noted that instead of powder flashes from the pan and barrel, there was nothing but a dark mist emanating after each shot was fired. His eyes then managed to catch glimpses of what was really happening.

 _She's using shadows as ammunition? Each time there's a muzzle flash from the other shooters, her shadow is cast onto the ceiling behind her, and each time she pulls the hammer on that musket a bit of the shadow is drawn into the rifle and fired like a lead ball… The timing, the precision, the platform of pure darkness she's standing on, the glowing orange dress… She's a Spirit. But I didn't sense her approach… I can't sense anything about her, it's like she isn't even there… But I can read her weapon. A Mystic Code? Something she's combined with her spirit powers?_

The girl pulled the hammer back one more time and fired on the last DEM member as he tried to flee, shooting him in the back of the neck. Meanwhile, the other woman, Ellen, was nowhere to be seen.

Shirou and Ciel cautious stood up with twin falchions and two hand fulls of Black Keys respectively. "Who are you?" asked Ciel as the girl started jumping down from her previous perch. Each time she descended her feet landed on another platform of shadow like jumping from step to step on her way down.

When she was close enough and in the light, they noticed the holes in her dress, and the blood pouring out.

"You're bleeding!" said Shirou as he started walking towards her slowly.

"I don't have time to bleed, and you don't have time to dawdle…" she said to him while holding her musket out at him, hammer cocked and ready to fire.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, stopping in his tracks and holding his swords ready to defend himself.

"Tick, tock goes the clock! You now have exactly ten minutes to get to the fountain in new city square before all hell breaks loose around Kotori. There's only so much I can do on my own… Better hurry. Tick, tock! Tick, tock!" she said with what Shirou could only describe and the single most demented voice and smile he'd ever seen in his life before drawing a flintlock pistol from behind her back and using it to shoot herself in the head.

Ciel and Shirou widened their eyes and tried to run to stop her but it was too late, her body fell down into a shadow and vanished completely.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kotori checked the time on her phone and groaned with irritation, "Where is she? She's never late for anything. I'd better call her and see if she's alright."

"She's only ten minutes late… It's not a big deal," Tohka casually stated.

Ryouko shook her head, "You don't know Origami. You can set your watch by her. She's never late..."

"What the hell?" said Kotori while looking around. "I've got no signal on my phone?"

Ryouko checked her phone as well, "Maybe that's why she couldn't call and tell us she was delayed or something… The cell tower must be out. Poor New City… The strangest things always happen here."

Tohka stepped over to lean on a guard rail beside Kotori. "Please don't worry. I'm sure she's fine. She did say she wanted to meet us today didn't she?"

Kotori nodded and looked up at Ryouko. "I'm sure Tohka's right, she'll be here any moment now."

* * *

High on a rooftop overlooking the city square, Origami was kneeling with a very large rifle pointed at the square.

"Jamming signal is at full strength. We're go for mission. Distance to target, one kilometer. Wind speed, zero point zero four two… Wind direction, south. Adeptus Five will target Princess. Adeptus two is on Hermit."

"Understood…" Origami and Shido said in unison.

Origami made adjustments to the scope as she drew a bead on her target while Shido did the same. "Adeptus Two… If you miss and hurt Ryouko or Kotori I will-"

"Yes… You'll do something terrible to me. I got that the first ten times you said it. Just stay focused. We only get one shot at this. If those two spirits turn against us we're going to be in for a world of hurt."

"I still do not believe this plan is wise…" stated Origami.

"I don't know if it's 'wise' or not…" said Mana while looking through a telescope at their targets. "But those were our orders."

"As long as DEM upholds their end of the deal and leaves the Emiya family alone after this…"

"Ellen told us she would. She doesn't lie. As long you uphold your end of the deal, she'll keep her's," said Mana, "Targets look like they're about to move… Adeptus Three here. Request activation of spacialquake alarm… Copy that. Alarm activates in ten seconds. Fire as soon as soon it happens."

Origami and Shido switched off their safeties and each drew a breath as they took aim. Each started mentally counting down as they slowly expelled the air from their lungs to steady the rifles.

* * *

"Kotori! Tohka! Ryouko! Yoshino!" screamed Shirou while he and Ciel ran towards them as fast as they could.

Upon hearing their names each turned around and started moving towards the edge where they could see what was happening.

Then the siren blared.

"Spacialquake?!" yelled Ryouko as she started rushing to gather her group.

Suddenly she was splattered with blood.

Ryouko froze as her eyes slowly scanned her surroundings.

Her eyes drifted downwards.

Her voice wouldn't emerge from the catch in her throat.

* * *

Origami dropped her rifle and fell backwards. Her eyes suddenly lifeless and vacant as she stared into the empty blue sky.

The siblings each dropped their respective rifle and telescope and started walking backwards away from the wall as they were suddenly being fired upon from somewhere between their targets and their positions.

"Protect territory, deploy!" they each cried out. Their shields then absorbed the impacts as they took off into the sky under a barrage of otherworldly gunfire.

"Origami! Get out of there! You're a sitting duck! ORIGAMI?!"

"Forget her sis, she's totally frozen up! Let's deal with Nightmare!"

* * *

"Kotori! Kotori!" cried Tohka as she cradled the girl in her arm who now had a hole in her chest the size of a fist from which blood was gushing out.

Shirou arrived and fall to his knees beside them where he completely and utterly froze. Ciel slowly walking up behind him and kneeling down where she put a hand on his shoulder for whatever the gesture was worth.

Ryouko looked to her other side and saw Yoshino on the ground. Instantly the army captain removed her shirt and fell to the ground beside the little girl. She pressed her shirt to the wound while cradling the girl in her lap. "Stay with me Yoshino!"

The Executor stood up from Shirou and moved over beside the little girl who was still somehow alive "I'll do what I can for her. But I'm no proper magus… We do need to get her treatment!" she said while slowly taking Ryouko's hand off Yoshino's wound and replacing it with her own hand. She closed her eyes and flooded her magic circuits.

Shirou slowly took his lifeless daughter from Tohka and cradled her against him. With eyes full of fire and tears he looked at the violet haired woman.

"That girl in the sky. She's fighting the ones who did this. Let's help her kill them!"

Tohka slowly stood up, teeth tightly clenched. She give nothing but a firm nod before shouting two words as loudly as she could. " **Adonai Melek!"** which replaced her casual street clothes with her armored astral dress. She then leap up off the raised platform they were gathered on and onto the street below where she stomped her foot hard enough to crack the ground and cause a fissure to open in the street, " **Sandalphon!"** she cried out to bring forth her angel and the throne it was attached to.

She leapt up to the top of the throne and drew out the blade from the top before leaping off and cutting through the throne on her way down, shattering it into many pieces which then fused themselves to the sword, reshaping it into a much larger and much more dangerous weapon. " **Halvanhelev!"** she cried out as she leapt up into the air and took flight to join the battle.

Shirou meanwhile stood up and closed his daughter's eyes before laying her gently on the ground. "Go get help for Yoshino…" he said coldly while walking away and tracing his bow and something very sharp to go with it.

Ryouko wanted to say something to stop him but knew that if that were she in his place, nothing would stop her either. She picked up the blue haired girl into her arms and nodded. "Don't worry Yoshino. You'll be alright..." she said without as much confidence as she wanted. The little girl had been shot through the chest and was bleeding profusely all over her cloths.

"Big brother! The spirit wave reaction from Princess is off the scale!"

"I see it… It'll cause a spacequake at this rate!" Shido said through clenched teeth as he dodged gunfire from the first spirit to attack them. "Damn it Nightmare! We don't have time to screw around with you right now!"

"Awww! But I wanna play some more! It's been so long since the three of us got to tango like this! You know how much I adore you Shido!" the black haired spirit yelled back at them before firing off her rifle.

"Let's finish her off quick Mana!"

"Right!"

"Brother and sister at once huh? Never let it be said that I'm inflexible!"

" **Gathering Cloud Sword Style!"** they said in unison before splitting up and flying in a circle around the rifle wielding spirit at high speed. A moment later Shido rushed in and attempted to slice her in half with his twin energy blades. The Spirit then ran around him as if she were running up some stairs made of shadows before Mana swooped in and tried to cut off her head with her sword.

It was then that Tohka came in and took a swing at the young blue haired girl forcing her to evade at full speed.

Shido then disengaged from the spirit known as Nightmare and moved beside his sister. "We're in over our heads Mana. Let's get the hell out of here."

"What about Origami? Do you want to just leave her there?!"

"Protect territory, deploy!" he yelled while pulling his sister in close to him.

It was no use though. Whatever was launched at them from the ground went straight through the shield and impaled itself into his flight pack. It was only thanks to Mana's much larger engines that the two remained airborne. He looked at the damage and saw a sword impaled in his wing.

"How the hell?! What the hell is that?!" the boy cried out while discarding his now useless flight pack.

"That was no Black Key…" observed Mana while she started speeding up to escape as quickly as she could take them both.

 _Durandal… The Peerless Sword that will never lose its sharpness, and can not be destroyed. Containing three miracles within it. Which means it can not be stopped by your shields or armor._

The black haired spirit appeared out of a shadow in the ground beside Shirou and smiled a twisted smile at him. "You don't have time for them. You need to come with me now!"

"What are you talking about? And just who the hell are you anyway?" he asked with a furious tone.

"Aww… Angry Shirou makes Kurumi a sad panda…"

"So your name's Kurumi?" he asked while drawing his bow.

"No. My name is Angra Mainyu. What part of that was unclear? We don't have time to dawdle here. You need to forget about those two for now and deal with Tohka. You can't let her run around unrestrained. Bad things happen when she gets pissed off."

"Bad things happen when I get pissed off too…"

"Not as bad as her. Believe me. At your best moments… You don't come close."

"Those two killed my daughter. Do you think I'm just going to let them go for that?" he growled through clenched teeth.

"Correction… They tried and failed. Also Kotori isn't dead and he isn't the one who pulled the trigger. That one is the one who's about to get flattened by Tohka. Tick tock goes the clock! We have to put the leash back on Tohka. Tick tock! Before she blows up the the city!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Come find out…" she said before taking his hand and pulling him behind her onto her shadow platform. Eventually giving in Shirou allowed her to lead up towards the top of a high-rise building where Tohka was hurling waves of energy at something unseen.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kotori quickly sat up and started beating her chest to put out a blue flame which was burning her cloths. "Hot hot hot hot hot!"

"Welcome back to the world of the living…" said the dark haired girl to Kotori.

Kotori blinked up at her. "Wha? Who're you? What the hell just happened to me?"

The girl poked the bare skin through the large hole in the middle of her dress. "You got shot. But's it's fine. Like in any decent RPG, you have an unlimited number of respawns. I just had to give you a little bit of my Od to jump start it. Would have happened on its own but not quick enough."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't have much time. So pay attention, alright?" she said in a sweet and calming voice to the girl.

Kotori nodded but otherwise remained quiet. She looked into the girl's eyes. One was red, not like her own cherry red. Her's was as red like blood. Her other eye was bright, glowing, and had a clock face on it which she found disturbing enough to be unable to keep a fearful expression off her face.

"You have a special gift, Kotori Emiya. You can't be killed. Someone like me has to cheat to avoid things like death. But you have an unlimited number of respawns like I just said. You're like a phoenix. Everytime you die you're reborn from the ashes. It's quite a gift your angel has bestowed upon you. Something many bad people will covet. You have to get a lot stronger to protect yourself because I can't always be there to protect you like I have been until now."

"Are you serious?"

"Very… Just don't abuse this gift. You'll make your family stress out again. You really don't want that. They love you very much," the girl explained to her with a cheerful smile that didn't seem to quite match up with her general appearance.

"They think I'm dead right now?"

The black haired girl nodded, "That's why I need you to go find Tohka right now. She thinks you're dead and she won't stop until she's killed the person she thinks killed you. She'll destroy this whole city if she continues as she is now. You have to go to her. Before she kills your best friend," the girl said while standing up and walking away.

"Wait!" Kotori said while standing up herself and looking at the girl who turned around to face her with a smile. "What's your name? I feel like I know you. Or I should know you. I don't understand it."

"My name is Kurumi. Kurumi… Tokisaki. I get called a lot of other things too. But you can just call me Kurumi."

"Right… Kurumi. How do you know so much about me?" asked Kotori.

"Oh.. I've just been around a few times and learned a little bit of this and that. Now if you'll excuse me, my time here is up. I'll see you again Kotori Emiya. Sooner or later," she said while pulling out the pistol stuffed in the back of her dress and quickly putting it to the side of her head.

"No! Kurumi don't do it!"

"Relax… Remember what I said? I have to cheat to do the same thing you do. I'm not actually killing myself," she said with a wink of her yellow eye before using the pistol to shoot herself in the head and vanishing into the shadow she was standing on.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

With this, I conclude my first half of the story and bring us into the next. I'd like to take this opportunity to once again thank you all immensely for your support of this story! All your reviews, constructive criticisms, and compliments have really made this such an amazing experience.

When I started this, I never imagined I'd have gathered so many dedicated readers for it. I'd especially like to thank Western White Tiger for the amazingly detailed reviews you've left for me. Without your many helpful comments I don't know how some of these chapters might have played out.

I'd also like to give a shout out to ArcherShirou who's been using Google Translate to leave reviews for me. I'm deeply touched by your effort to respond to this story and encouraging me to continue writing it.

To everyone else who's left reviews, I thank you all as well. You've all been a compass for me in my writing, letting me know what you're enjoying or not enjoying and helping me figure out how I can better present the material I'm working with in future chapters.

Please continue to give me your thoughts and questions in the reviews or feel free to send me a message. I try to respond to all of you whenever I get a chance to so be sure to check your inboxes once in awhile.

I hope you will all continue to enjoy reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it.

That being said. Let's begin our date (chapter)!

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Kotori stared at the empty spot where Kurumi once stood for a long moment before a loud noise turned her head up to the sky above her. She had to do a double take because she saw Tohka there with a giant sword, throwing her purple energy at something she couldn't see on the roof top.

But what made her look twice was her father and Kurumi running up towards Tohka. Each of their steps landed on something inky black. Kotori had no idea what to make of that.

 _Wasn't Kurumi just here now? How did she get over there with Pops so quickly?! Whatever… I have to get up there. I have to let them know I'm alright…_

"I guess now's as good a time as any to give this a try…" she said to herself as she held out her hand. "Elohim Gibor…"

* * *

Shirou stopped off Kurumi's shadow and onto the rooftop where Tohka was hovering in the air above and sending waves of purple energy at Origami who was sitting and staring up at the sky with lifeless eyes. She wasn't even trying to fight back. The energy just kept splitting against her shield like a rock in the middle of a raging river.

 _She's wearing the same gear as Ryouko's soldiers. Their defense shields must be automatic because she doesn't look like she's in any state to be in any sort of control over her equipment._

"Tohka! Tohka! You have to stop!" yelled Shirou as loud as he could.

The armored woman wasn't hearing him. He'd seen that kind of rage before. Madness had completely taken over her.

"I told you. She's completely lost her marbles… If she even had any to begin with. You know I never could figure her out," said Kurumi while smiling and scratching the back of her head.

Shirou looked at the girl beside him with a raised eyebrow, "You know I could say the same thing about you. So how do you know Kotori is still alive? If you lied to me about that I'm going-"

"Because she'll be here any moment. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. Don't screw this up!" she said while stepping off the roof again.

Before Shirou could say anything back to her Tohka raised up her oversized sword and brought it down over Origami, it took nothing but a moment for her shield to collapse. The white haired girl cried out in anguish. Shirou started running towards her. She'd spat up blood, and she was laying on the ground unconscious. "Origami!" he shouted while kneeling down beside her where he took her into her arms.

Then he looked up and saw Tohka pointing her sword at them both.

"Shirou! Get out of the way! She has to pay for what she's done!"

Shirou looked up at Tohka and blinked. He had to slap himself then to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Tears of joy flowed freely from his eyes as he saw the sight before him.

"What's she done Tohka?" asked Kotori who was now flying beside the armored woman standing inside of a large bubble of fire in her astral dress. There were also rings of fire orbiting her form as she hovered in the air majestically, almost regally.

"She killed Kotori! I'm going to make her suffer for it!" yelled Tohka while gathering energy into her sword.

Kotori blinked at Tohka and started yelling at her incredulously, shattering her majestic and regal image to any onlookers with the presence of mind to even take note of such a thing, " **Are you really that stupid you big dummy?! I'm right here yelling at you!"**

Tohka suddenly lowered her sword and turned to look at Kotori with wide eyes. "Kotori! You're alive!" she exclaimed while rushing in to hug the smaller girl tightly.

"Hey careful you big dummy this is real fire around me!"

"I don't care! I'm too glad to care! Thank you! Thank you for coming back! I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Damn… Sometimes you're really all boobs and no brains Tohka…" she said while hugging the woman back tightly. Then her eyes drifted to the side when she heard a sparking noise, "Wait… **What the hell is that?!** " she asked while glaring wide eyed at the massive sword which was indeed sparking, and pulsing with energy.

"Oh no… I unsheathed Halvanhelev… I need to find somewhere to release it!" she said while pointing it down at the street.

"Whoa! Tohka I don't think that's a good idea! I've never sensed so much power in one thing before…"

"Well what should I do?! It's about to reach its critical state!"

"Climb! Fly high! As high as we can go and release it upwards! Come on move it!"

Shirou was dumbfounded by what he saw. But he quickly snapped out of it and lifted Origami into his arms. He had to get her help in a hurry, everything else could wait to be explained.

* * *

"Now for the Headlines. Today's spacequake alarm thankfully turned out to be a false alarm. The only damage reported turned out to be caused by a gas leak in new city, but as the area was deserted due to the quake alarm, no injuries were reported. Also several satellites have malfunctioned, causing service disruptions across much of Japan. It is unknown at this time when service can be expected to resume. In international news, diplomatic talks broke down between-"

Kotori turned off the TV with the remote and groaned in annoyance as she lay back on the floor. "Great… Now I won't be able to watch any new anime for the foreseeable future… Thank you Tohka!"

Tohka looked down in shame, "I'm sorry… Will you forgive me?"

Kotori sighed, "It's probably as much my fault as it is yours. I didn't expect your sword to be **that** powerful… I mean seriously? Who would have thought it would fire a beam of energy powerful enough to take out freaking satellites?! If you'd unleashed that at, or even _near_ the ground you'd probably have made a hole in the world straight to Canada!"

A moment later Ciel came into the room with Yoshino beside her.

"I'm really glad you're ok Kotori…" the little girl said.

"I'm glad you're ok too Yoshino… So have you decided what you want to do?"

Yoshino nodded and looked up at Ciel.

Ciel looked down at the girl beside her and smiled, "We're going to adopt her. Shiki, Arcueid and I have talked a lot about having children someday. After a short conversation with them on the phone we all agreed we'd like her to come live with us. We can definitely keep her safe there. She'll be able to go to school and live a normal life. Well… As normal a life as anyone can have with an Assassin, a former Executor, and a True Ancestor for parents… Not to mention a Demon for an aunt… And then there's Len..."

Said demon familiar then stepped up beside Yoshino and hugged her. "Sister," was the only word she said.

Yoshino's eyes widened at what Ciel was saying and the sudden hug from Len.

"Yeah… Look. There's a lot I'm going to have to tell you about… But I really don't want you to worry. You're going to be completely safe and loved. I promise you," she said while kneeling down to hug the two of them.

"Wait… Does this mean you're leaving Ciel?" asked Kotori with surprise.

Ciel looked over at Kotori and nodded before standing back up. "Yeah. I need to take Yoshino home. Tell Shiki and Arcueid everything that's happened, and I need to determine if the entire Church has turned against me or if it was just the one man who sold me out to DEM… If they have all turned on me. I need to deal with that and I can't involve all of you. You have enough to worry about."

Kotori stood up and ran over to Ciel and hugged her tightly. Ciel smiled and hugged her back as well. "You're not my mother Ciel. But you did the job. Yoshino is so lucky. You're going to be the best mom to her."

"I'm not leaving right away Kotori-chan. And this isn't a goodbye. I'll be back once I've got things under control. I'm still going to help you all deal with everything that's happening," she said while pulling back to look the girl in the eyes. "I promise. You'll see me again soon. I already told your father we're all going to get together this summer for a family vacation. So if I don't see you before, you'll see me then."

Kotori hugged onto Ciel again, "I love you Aunt Ciel!"

"Aunt? I'm flattered Kotori. Well. I suppose that makes you and Yoshino cousins now doesn't it?" she said with a smile.

"Mhmm. Definitely! Thank you so much for being there for us! I don't know what would have happened if we didn't have you here to help us."

"It's what a family does Kotori. I'll always be here if you need me. If there's ever anything you need, or if you just want to talk. Call me. Anytime. I'm never too busy for you."

* * *

Shirou sat down patiently in the military hospital waiting room while Ryouko paced back and forth in agitation. The room was steril like any room in a hospital. Bland furniture, white walls, the smell of disinfectants. Not another soul anywhere near them. They'd been there for two hours so far and there was still no word given to them on how much longer they'd have to wait.

"Ryouko? You should sit down."

"Why should I sit down?!"

"Because if you keep pacing like that you'll end up pacing on the floor below us next."

"So what if I do?!" she turned to yell at him with a hand on her hip.

Shirou put up his hands in surrender. "Fine... Do what you want."

"Why are you even still here?! Shouldn't you be at home with your daughter at a time like this?"

"Ciel and Tohka are with her. She'll be perfectly safe there. It's you and _your_ daughter I'm worried about right now."

"She's not my daughter…"

"You could have fooled me. So will you just have a seat already? You're not helping her by working yourself up into a frenzy. She's going to be perfectly alright."

Ryouko put her hands up in exasperation and then gestured to him with both hands after, "Three kids I care about nearly died today! Excuse me if I'm a little worked up over it! Why aren't you?!"

Shirou stood up and went over to her where he put both hands on her tense shoulders, "Because no good will come from both of us being in a state. They're all alive. Just be thankful for that, and try to calm yourself down."

"I don't understand why Nightmare of all spirits was the one who helped us. She saved Yoshino. She saved Kotori. She helped you save Origami. It doesn't make sense…"

"Could it just be that Spirits aren't as evil as you were made to believe? Kurumi was more than a little off the rails. But I didn't sense any malice in her actions today," Shirou said to her softly.

"That's the other thing that bothers me. You keep talking about how she was acting… What was the word you used?"

"Demented…"

"Yeah, that. But when she came to do that thing to Yoshino to save her. She was kind, sweet, like a normal teenage girl. Normal if you close your eyes to what she looks like that is… How could the two of us, meet the same person, and come away with two completely different experiences with her? Especially considering that everything we know about her says she's the single most dangerous and bloodthirsty of all the known spirits..."

"Kotori said she was the same way with her. But when Ciel and I met her… That wasn't what she was like at all."

"I'm going to come to regret ever meeting you aren't I? Every day just keeps getting stranger and stranger," she said with a sigh before throwing her arms around his waist and hugging him.

Shirou put his arms around her shoulders and held her gently, "You haven't seen anything yet… But if it's worth anything. The excuse I tried to give Kotori for not wanting to date you was exactly because of this part of my life. But. You seem to be handling it surprisingly well."

"Believe me I'm not… If I didn't like you and Kotori so damn much I'd be long gone."

"Even after all this you still want to keep going with me?" he asked with no small amount of surprise.

"Nothing that happened was because of you. The only thing that happened because of you is that Origami is still alive. I don't know why she got mixed back up with those DEM people but I promise you Shirou. She would never have targeted Kotori and pulled the trigger intentionally. She loves her too much for that."

"We'll figure everything out when she's healthy again. For now. Just let her know nobody is angry at her. Not me, not Kotori, not anyone."

"Speak for yourself. I'm pissed beyond belief! If she was in trouble she should have come to me instead of going along with them!"

Before Shirou could say something to her another man cleared his throat beside them.

"Captain Kusakabe?"

Shirou and Ryouko slowly pulled apart and turned to politely face the man.

"Doctor! Please tell me some good news about Origami!"

The Doctor nodded, "She hasn't regained consciousness yet, but she's resting comfortably. There were a few complications but nothing life threatening. She should make a full recovery."

"What kind of complications?!" she demanded.

The Doctor looked between her and Shirou for a moment, "Perhaps we should discuss this in private Captain?"

Ryouko shook her head, "Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of him."

The Doctor looked at the file on his clipboard and then back up at the Captain. "Ma'am… Are you certain about that?"

Ryouko folded her arms and glared impatiently at the man.

"This is going to be about whatever DEM did to her? Am I correct Doctor?" asked Shirou with a level and firm voice.

The Doctor looked between the two again, "I probably shouldn't even ask how you know about that. But yes…"

Ryouko looked from the Doctor to Shirou and then back again a couple times. "Someone want to start filling me in now?!"

* * *

Not long after their talk with the doctor, Ryouko was hunched over some bushes outside the building near her car where she was violently vomiting with Shirou standing beside her, one hand on her back, the other holding a bottle of water out to her.

She reached out and snatched the bottle before falling on her knees in front of her car, her arms on the hood, her face on her forearms, sobbing quietly into her sleeves. Shirou sat back on the hood of her car. Though he wanted nothing more than to hold her right now, he decided it was better to give her some space for the moment. In her place, it's what he'd want.

"How did you know?" she asked quietly without lifting up her head.

"Ciel found out. The Holy Church keeps close tabs on the Mage's Association. Westcott, the DEM Managing Director, was a member. Him splitting with the Clocktower cause a bit of a stirr. My late wife asked Ciel to look into what the Church had on Westcott because he stopped working with her a while back. She wanted to know what he was up to and nobody at the Clocktower would even talk to her after she mentioned his name."

Ryouko slowly picked herself up and sat down beside him on the hood to listen. Taking only a few sips of water as he explained.

"When Ciel had finished gathering all the information, it was long after Rin died. But what she found, she couldn't just leave alone. So she brought it to me. Because I don't play by the same rules as the rest of them. She, rightly, figured that once I knew what was happening at DEM, that I'd do something about it. Honestly though, I very nearly didn't. It wasn't until DEM came after us to get the file she brought me that I decided it was worth getting involved in."

"So what did the files say?"

"It would take me days to explain the particulars. But the relevant part is 'Human Experimentation', something only a 'proper' magus could do and not find it morally reprehensible in the slightest. That's what they did to Origami. Probably to those other two kids as well. All I know about it is that it's designed to increase their combat abilities. Allow them to compete with spirits. If we want to know more. We'll have to ask Origami. I suspect that, since she left DEM to join with you. She probably knows more than we do about what goes on there."

Ryouko chugged through her water before throwing the bottle away as hard as she could and then put her face into her hands and screamed as loud as she could into them. After a long, and tensely silent moment she picked her head back up and looked at Shirou. "Ten years… That's all she has left he said…"

"A lot can happen in ten years. But if DEM can do this to a person, they might have a way to undo it. I'm more than willing to walk into the local DEM building to ask around. I might even start cutting things until someone presents an acceptable solution to your problem."

"Believe me. I have a mind to go there right now and do that myself..."

She took a breath and then leaned into Shirou and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Thank you for being here with me. I appreciate it."

"There's no need to thank me."

"Would you mind coming with me to to pick up some stuff for Origami? I can drop you off home after that. If I can't stay here with her then I can at least make them put some of her stuff in the room. I don't want her to wake up in a hospital without anything familiar around her… She's a tough girl and she probably wouldn't freak out or anything but-"

"I understand. You don't need to justify it to me. If you need my help with anything, anytime. You just name it, then consider it done," he said while giving her a gentle squeeze in his arms.

"I'll remember that. Thank you."

* * *

The next day, Shirou, Tohka, and Ciel had gathered in the dojo for an experiment she wanted to conduct. Tohka has Sandalphon ready, while Shirou brought out Kanshou and Bakuya. Ciel gave the signal and Tohka charged with a swing of her sword. Shirou brought his sword up to block but as had happened the last six times, they could not withstand contact with the angel.

Shirou started shaking his arms while grunting in pain.

"Same thing again?"

"Worse… Each time she breaks my projections there's this shooting pain up my arms. How many more times do you want me to endure this before you figure out what's happening?"

Ciel scratched her chin in deep thought, "Just one more time. Try it with another sword this though. Preferably something that won't explode if it breaks. But something that could still potentially withstand her attack."

Shirou grunted but complied, her held his hand out to his side and started wondering what to trace that could do this job. There was only one name that came to mind for the job which he then traced.

"Oh, that sword is pretty!" observed Tohka.

"Durandal. I used it yesterday to… Nevermind. Point is, this sword is unbreakable. So it should be utterly impossible for your angel to destroy it like my others."

"What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object Shirou? Are you sure that's a good idea?" wondered Ciel.

"Probably not… But if you want to put this to the ultimate test, then I can't think of anything more appropriate off the top of my head. Besides the Aias, and if breaking my projected swords hurts… That would probably destroy my magic circuits..."

"Alright then… Go for it," said Ciel with a sigh.

Tohka charged and Shirou swung to block but as happened every othertime, the sword shattered. But this time the pain that shot up his arms was almost unbearable and he cried out in agony.

"Arrrrgh! That… is…. BULLSHIT!" he cried out.

"It's exactly as I suspected… That just confirms it."

"She just broke the unbreakable sword!" he yelled incredulously while rubbing his sore arms.

"No she didn't. That's not at all what happened. Her angel didn't break the sword. It attacked the mana flow that was sustaining the weapon's existence. That's why your arms are in pain. It's essentially just forcing the rules of the world upon you. That's why it's feeding back into your magic circuits. Her weapon is a spiritual weapon, so it attacks on a spiritual level. Do you get it now?"

"That's why Black Keys work? Because they use the same principal?"

Ciel nodded, "Exactly. And that's how that woman managed to cut off your mana supply in the Church. Whatever spell she infused her shield with, was probably based on what Tohka is doing to break your projections."

"So it's not the sword that broke. It's the mana that broke…" Shirou nodded that he finally understood.

"That's a crude way of putting it. But yes. That's pretty much exactly what's happening here. Try it again. But this time with a Black Key. You didn't actually use them to block Tohka, I did. I want to know if the projection will suffer the same fate, or if the properties of a Black Key will counter her power."

Shirou sighed in resignation. "This is the last experiment. You have no idea how much this hurts Ciel!"

"Suck it up!" she demanded.

Shirou rolled his eyes and projected two handfuls of Black Keys.

"Alright Tohka… One more time."

The violet haired woman nodded and raised her sword, with a step forward she brought it down over his head. Shirou crossed the Black Keys to catch the sword and to his surprise, they blocked it. "I can feel the pain in my circuits! But they're not shattering!" he said loudly, the pain evident in his voice.

Tohka withdrew and then Shirou let his projections dissolve and then fell back onto the floor in exhaustion and pain.

"I think based on this. I have a solution for you. So nobody will ever be able to pull that trick on you again. But I'm going to go ahead and guess you're not exactly up for another experiment?" asked Ciel while kneeling down beside Shirou with a gloating look on her face.

"Damn right I'm not…" he said through heavy breaths. "But taking pain to create weapons is what I do… As long as there's a point to this beyond your own sadism Ciel!"

"I'm not a sadist…" she said while reaching into a bag to pull something out which she then wrapped around Shirou's shoulders as he stood up.

Shirou looked at the cloth she's just thrown over his shoulders. "What's this?"

"It's a Holy Shroud… Trust me, wearing this will protect you from spiritual interference with your magecraft. Give it a try."

Shirou shrugged and projected Kanshou and Bakuya one more time. He then gave Tohka a nod and she came at him again. This time, his swords endured contact, but there was pain shooting up his arms which made him visibly wince.

"Alright. That's enough. I've made my point," said Ciel.

Tohka nodded and stepped back where she put her sword away into the ground and dismissed her astral dress, replacing it with a set of jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt.

Shirou allowed his projections to dissolve before inspecting the Holy Shroud. "My arms still hurt like hell when she made contact… But this did the trick. Whatever was happening couldn't break my projections."

"That I can solve with a little bit of creative tailoring. There's enough material here to make something for both of us."

"Wait… Creative tailoring?" asked a suddenly stunned Shirou.

"Well yeah? What did you think? I'd just cut this in half and we both wear it as scarves to protect us? No. We'd have to make it a pretty tight fit to stay on and protect us from-"

"Ciel… You're not thinking about mantle sleeves and matching butt capes are you?" asked Shirou with an unnaturally calm voice.

"Hmmm… That's actually a really clever idea Shirou! It wouldn't take much material since we don't have to cover our entire bodies so it would leave some of the shroud to spare. Why didn't I think of that?"

Shirou rolled his eyes, "You did think of it… In another life… It's what Archer was wearing over the other costume. Now I know why, and where he got it from."

"So him and this other me really-"

"Please don't go there…"

"Would it be ok if I asked for Kotori's help with this design? That way it'll come out differently and you won't look exactly like him! And I can teach her a little something about Mystic Codes while I'm at it."

Shirou sighed deeply while pulling the shroud off his person and holding it in his hands to look at it and feel it. "Fine. You can do that. I suppose this day was inevitable."

"Wearing the same clothes doesn't make you the same person Shirou. If it helps at all. Despite what Shiki thinks I won't ever be sleeping with you. So you won't have that in common with him."

" **Shiki thinks you're sleeping with me?!"**

Ciel didn't expect that reaction and actually took a step back away from the angry man.

Tohka raised her hand curiously, "Umm. What's the big deal if you two sleep together? I mean you'd just be sleeping right?"

Shirou and Ciel both turned their heads to Tohka incredulously.

"I need to get started on this. I want it to be ready before I leave tomorrow. Mind if I use your workshop?"

Shirou shook his head, "Go ahead."

"Great. I'll go get Kotori!"

* * *

The next morning Shirou looked at himself in the mirror with a completely blank expression on his face while Ciel was adjusting her cloths in a mirror beside him. Kotori and Tohka were sitting on his bed and watching with interest while Yoshino stood behind Ciel.

"The Agemaki knots were my idea. I thought it would be a nice touch to bring you some good luck," said Kotori while smiling proudly at her little addition to the outfit.

 _Then how did he end up with them I wonder? Did he also adopt Kotori?_

Shirou slowly turned his head to Ciel and stared blankly at her next. She looked similar to him, except she dyed it blue. Which truly infuriated him because it would have been fine if his was anything but red. She didn't have the mantle though, she didn't need it because her Black keys weren't projections, instead she had a scarf as she joked about doing earlier. There was also a butt cape over her skirt. Somehow on her it was all just sexy.

Which reminded him... He knew exactly how to make this all better.

Ciel turned her head to look at Shirou curiously. "Do I look bad?"

Shirou shook his head. "Shiki will love it. He told me he enjoys your costume fetish."

Kotori and Yoshinon started laughing.

 _If I have to suffer this. He has to suffer with me._

Ciel nodded and turned to face Yoshino who was standing behind her watching with interest what they were up to. She knelt down infront of the little girl and smiled sadly at her. "I know you haven't met Shiki yet. But don't get too attached to him. He'll be dead soon."

Yoshino gulped while Yoshinon started laughing maniacally. "Hahahahah! You're so cool Ciel! A total a perve! But so cool!"

Shirou started snickering.

Ciel stood back up and smiled at him in the mirror he was looking into again. "I'll get you for this Shirou Emiya. Just you wait."

"Looking forward to it Ciel…" he said with an amused smirk.

"Try passing some mana through it Pops! You'll love what happens next!"

Shirou raised an eyebrow and then looked at Ciel who closed her eyes and did exactly what Kotori suggested. The outfit dissolved and was replaced by her usual nun-like dress.

Shirou shrugged his shoulders before doing the same thing and then looked in the mirror at the result.

"Mystic Codes are so cool! Since we based them a little bit on our Astral Dresses it's kinda like you have your own now! We used my Spirit Mana to craft them and it really cut down on the time it would have taken to make them work. I really think I could get into crafting Mystic Codes, this was a lot of fun!" said Kotori with enthusiasm.

Ciel gave Kotori a proud smile, "You have a strong aptitude for it. Next time, I'll bring you some textbooks on the subject so you can do some more research on your own. I think you've definitely found your niche in magecraft!"

"Where did you come up with this 'alternate' look for it?" asked Shirou.

"Pictures of my grandfathers that you and mom had in the workshop. I thought it would look great on you since there was too much material in the whole outfit to just turn into your regular look, so we just based it on those pictures and made it into something we thought would look good on you," she answered proudly.

Shirou nodded at his reflection and adjusted the tie before walking over to his daughter and taking her in a tight hug. "I love you," he said to her with tears welling in his eyes.

"I love you too pops. What brought this on though?"

"I'll explain it to you another time…" he said to her softly before kissing the top of her head and then letting her go so he could turn and look at himself one more time.

It was a long coat three piece suit. Black shirt, pants and shoes. The vest was a dark red, along with the coat and tie. It wasn't a complete reproduction of what either man wore in their photographs, though it was certainly clearly inspired by those men, but it was distinctly Shirou Emiya. The look he never knew he could pull off.

 _I'm definitely not Archer. I'm Kiritsugu's son and I'm Kotori's father. Nobody else._

* * *

Shirou, Kotori, and Tohka sat around the dining table that night. Nothing much was said between them except the usual requests to pass this or that.

"I got so used to the house being full that this feels a little lonely now…" said Kotori before slurping up some noodles.

"Yeah. It does kinda feel that way…" said Tohka before doing the same.

"We need to set a few new rules around here. Which I want strictly obeyed," said Shirou in a no nonsense voice.

Kotori and Tohka both turned to look at him.

"First rule is, nobody leaves the house after dark. Second rule is, nobody goes anywhere alone. DEM have shown that they're willing to bend or even disregard the rules to attack us. So until I figure out what my next move should be, I want you both to take extra care and be safe. Don't take any chances. And I really mean that."

Kotori and Tohka slowly nodded.

"I could walk with Kotori to school in the mornings?" offered Tohka.

Shirou nodded, "Good. Do that. Also walk her home after."

 _No need to tell them I refused to let Saber do that for me._

"What about you Pops? What will you be doing?" asked Kotori.

"I don't honestly know yet. The only thing I can think about right now is keeping you safe. I should probably have sent you to stay with the Tohno family for a while but I want to try something else to get the heat off us first before I upend all our lives like that."

"Pops… I don't mean to sound big headed, but I'm not defenseless."

"You do sound big headed. I watched you get shot. I thought you died. You should be dead right now. It's only thanks to that girl that you're even here now. So please don't let yourself for even a moment think you're safe! When you're outside this house… the moment you feel safe and secure, is the exact moment you'll be in the most danger!"

Kotori slowly nodded and looked down at the food she barely touched. "I understand…"

"Good. The next thing I want you both to be doing is training together. I want you to keep teaching her Tohka. Then, I'd also like to train with you. We can all sharpen our skills that way."

Tohka nodded enthusiastically, "Now that you can make swords that Sandalphon won't break I'm sure I can learn lots from you!"

"We'll start tonight then."

* * *

 _We'll start tonight he says… How am I supposed to get through school today without a drop of mana?_

Tonomachi tapped the top of a can with two fingers a couple times before opening it up and setting it down on top of Kotori's desk. "Thy need is greater than mine Emiya…"

Kotori reached out and took up the energy drink he'd opened for her and she started chugging it.

"Thanks Tonomachi…" she said sleepily. "Good job on keeping off the gel…" she added lazily.

Tonomachi waved his hand and snapped his fingers in front of her face but she still looked so distant. She had bags under her eyes and her eyelids were only half open. "When's the last time you slept Emiya?"

"I think I slept last night… Sort of…"

"House guests keeping you up all night?" he wondered.

"Pretty much yeah…" she said before her face planted into the desk with a snore.

* * *

When lunch time arrived, Kotori sat down at the usual table she always shared with Origami. With a heavy sigh she opted instead to pull out her phone and maybe play a game while eating. All of a sudden someone had the audacity to sit down at their table. Nobody ever did that. Everyone knew it was an unwritten rule that nobody but Kotori Emiya and Origami Tobiichi sat down at this table to eat in peace.

Kotori lifted up her head with an angry scowl about to verbally eviscerate the intruder when her jaw suddenly dropped and her eyes widened.

"Oh my… You look like someone just stepped over your grave. Are you alright?"

Kotori closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them again. To her shock, the girl was still there. She was wearing their school uniform. Her hair was done in long tails going over both of her shoulders one was subtly longer than the other, peekabangs over her left eye, and the straps of an eye patch going over and under her right eye. But that blood red eye, that voice. Kotori would know her anywhere.

"Kurumi? Wha… What are you doing here?!" she yelled in a hushed whisper.

"That's 'Tokisaki-senpai' to you right now. A little respect please, Emiya-kohai. I just transfered into this school," she said with a small grin.

"How did you manage that?" asked Kotori incredulously.

"Oh I've just been around a few times and learned a few things," she said while her face morphed from a grin to a smile. "I told you that you'd see me again sooner or later."

"You know I have about a million questions for you right now?"

"I'll answer what I can. But not here. You know the rules," she said kindly.

"Hey Emiya! Who's your new friend? She seems like the polar opposite of Tobiichi-senpai," said Tonomachi while setting down his tray and taking a seat beside Kotori.

"Who gave you permission to sit next to me Tonomachi?!" barked Kotori in his face.

"Wow. Somebody's finally awake. I didn't think I needed permission to sit next to my friend. So I just sat down," he answered calmly.

"You're not my friend Tonomachi. You're a nuisance!"

"I might be a nuisance to you. But you're still a friend to me. So accept it and move on."

Kurumi stifled a giggle, "Some things never change," she said in almost a whisper. "Is this your boyfriend Kotori-chan?"

"No way!" she yelled loudly enough to turn all heads on her. Kotori looked around and quickly hid her face in shame for a long moment before looking up at Kurumi again, "And don't be so familiar _senpai_ …"

Kurumi and Tonomachi stifled a chuckle at Kotori's reaction.

"If he's annoying to you, I could kill him for you if you'd like?" said Kurumi with a salacious tone and matching lick of her lips.

Kotori gasped. She started waving her hands and shaking her head at the black haired girl frantically.

"Ahh. I see you know about Emiya's love of all things Yandere. We're just friends and classmates. I'm Hiroto Tonomachi by the way. Welcome to the school, if there's anything we can help you with, just ask. Anytime, I'm at your service," he said while offering the new girl his hand.

 _Oh God… He has no idea she'd probably_ _ **actually do it!**_

"Oh my. So polite. I'm Kurumi Tokisaki. Nice to meet you," she said while shaking hands with the boy.

 _Pops actually likes this idiot?!_

"Stop flirting with her!" she softly yelled at him while slapping his upper arm.

"Don't get jealous. I'm not flirting with her, I'm just trying to be polite and make her feel welcomed before some of those douchebag upperclassmen ruin the image of our school in her mind forever."

"I promise you Tonomachi-kohai. Between you and Kotori-chan, it's impossible for me to dislike being here."

"Could you stop calling me 'Kotori-chan' it's embarrassing and I don't know you that well… Only my family call me that. And only my dad's girlfriend calls me by my first name. Not even my best friend does that yet..." she groaned out.

"Oh.. I see. Forgive me. Emiya then," she said with a nod.

Tonomachi blinked at Kotori, "Your dad's dating someone? That's cool. Is she nice?"

"Yes. She is very nice! It's none of your business anyway!"

"Hey. I like your old man. I'm happy for him, that's all. No offense intended," he said with his hands up in a peace gesture. "Besides. I still wanna get some cooking lessons from him. The man knows his stuff."

"Why do you even know how to cook anyway? It doesn't fit with my image of you. I imagine you're the kind of guy who stays up late playing online games who couldn't microwave a cup of ramen to save his life…"

"I do stay up late playing online games. As for learning how to cook. I just get recipes from the internet and try them out. My mom doesn't cook and my dad's never around. So… It's either that or, instant noodles. And those get boring pretty fast."

"Pardon me for saying so…" Kurumi interjected, "It sounds like you're mostly left on your own at home. May I ask why that is? Or is it too personal?"

"I got nothing to hide, so you can ask," he said with a forced smile.

"I see. Forget I brought it up then," said a nodding Kurumi.

Before the conversation could continue the bell rang to announce it was time for class to begin.

* * *

At the end of the day, Kotori was putting on her shoes to exit the building when Kurumi came up behind her. "Would you like to walk home together Kotori-chan?"

Kotori growled lowly, "I'm thankful to you for what you did for us. Immeasurably so. But for the last time… Don't call me 'Kotori-chan'!"

"Oh my. I'm sorry. I hit a nerve. Forgive me. But my offer stands. Would you like for us to walk home together?"

"I have Archery practice right now. Would you like to come and watch? You're not in any clubs yet I assume? So maybe you'd like to join us?"

Kurumi scratched the back of her head and thought about it, "That could be fun. I wouldn't mind giving it a try."

* * *

Kotori raised up her bow and drew it back while lowering it steadily. Once the bow was fully drawn out she focused on the target and released the arrow before falling into the correct finishing stance with all the practiced perfection expected of one who bears the name of Emiya. The target had been hit, not with perfect accuracy, but as she came to know, hitting the target at all for a beginner was considered a feat unto itself. Kotori couldn't keep a small hint of a smile off her lips as she gracefully stepped off the firing range to make way for the next group.

Kurumi was among the next group, all dressed up in the traditional outfit for the practice of Kyudo. The team Captain beside her explaining the basics to her while she smiled and nodded along. "Don't worry about your lack of depth perception," he began cautiously, not wanting to offend her. "There are people who are completely blind who have set archery records. So it's nothing you can't overcome! Now, for the basics of firing the bow-"

"Oh don't worry. This isn't my first time shooting a bow, but thank you. It's been awhile for me though so let's see how I do?"

The team Captain nodded and stepped back, "Always good to have more experienced members in the club. The Archery team is the pride of this school so we need everyone we can get if we want a shot at nationals."

Kurumi smiled before taking a deep breath, she took up the proper stance and raised the bow, drawing it back with a level of practiced precision that few on the team had seen outside of professional practitioners. With her one eye locked on the target she released the arrow, hitting the target dead center and then falling into the correct finishing stances.

"Holy crap…" muttered Kotori.

"That was… Impressive. But can you do it again?" asked the team Captain.

Kurumi loaded the next arrow she had in her fingers and began the whole ritual over again, drawing, targeting, releasing, and then relaxing. Then she loaded her final arrow and repeated the process again. Three shots, and all three on target, at, or very near the center.

"Apologies for my cockiness… I seem to be a little rustier than I thought," she said quietly while everyone was gaping at her.

"If that's a 'little' rusty for you, I honestly think having you on the team will get us back the national title! Please… For the love of all that's holy. Tell me you'll join our club!"

"I'm much better at shooting guns if I'm to tell you the truth… But. Since I'm here, how can I refuse?"

"Kotori-chan… That new girl is amazing…" said Taiga Fujimura while leaning down close to discreetly speak to her niece.

"Yeah… No kidding… Nobody else on this team except Tobiichi could shoot a grouping like she just did…"

"I've only seen two people in this dojo shoot like that. The first was your father. The second is Tobiichi. And now there's this girl. All three of them are utterly flawless in their technique… The captain's right. With her and Tobiichi, this team does have a shot now."

"Challenge accepted Aunt Tiger. I'll make that list if it kills me!" she whispered loudly, but still discreetly.

"That's my girl," said Taiga with a big smirk.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow then Kuru- Tokisaki-senpai, hopefully we'll get a chance to talk then," said Kotori as they parted ways on her way home with Tohka walking beside her.

Kurumi observed Tohka with an amused smile, "You're quite serious about protecting her aren't you? You keep a careful watch on me, and everything around us at all times."

"That's my duty. To protect my family!" Tohka said firmly.

Kurumi giggled softly at her, "If I wanted to hurt Kotori-chan, believe me, I've had plenty of opportunities to do it before now. More than you'll probably ever know."

Kotori rolled her eyes, "You're not going to stop calling me that are you?"

Kurumi bowed before turning to walk away, "Force of habit. Your name is too cute to resist it. I'll try harder in the future. Emiya-kohai."

Kotori sighed deeply before turning the other direction to walk away with Tohka.

* * *

Kurumi looked at her hand with an amused smile. "Archery huh? How long has it been since I did that I wonder?" Kurumi started skipping along the sidewalk while giggling in amusement at herself. "Too long. It could be fun this time around though. Who knows maybe I'll even-"

Kurumi bumped into someone and quickly turned around to offer a polite apology. "I'm so sorry. I was in my own world there and didn't see you."

"Yeah? What was that for bitch?" said one young man to her while two others started walking to surround her.

"Oh no… Not you three again..."

The three looked at each other in confusion for a moment. "You're gonna have a say a lot more than sorry to me if you wanna go free today."

Kurumi sighed with impatience, "Could we hurry this up then? I'm really not in the mood to screw around today…" she said while walking through them and into an alley ahead of her.

"Damn.. She really is a slut! Awesome!" said one of them while moving to walk close behind her.

"Heh… Like I said… I'm not screwing around today…"

"Yeah? Neither are we…" said the third young man while reaching out to grab onto her.

A moment later Kurumi walked out of the alley as the blood began to pool and flow around the corner and onto the sidewalk. But no bodies would ever be found there…

"Hey beautiful…" said another Kurumi while hanging out of a shadow inside the wall beside her as if it were a window.

"What do you want? I got you a little something just now, doesn't that earn me a moment to myself?"

"A moment is really all those three had to offer. Certainly wasn't worth the mana you wasted on them like that. You're not usually the one to go for overkill…"

"Maybe I'm finally picking up your bad habits?"

"Don't talk back to me like that missy. You forget I could just gobble you back up as well."

"If you could, you would have done that a long time ago. You can't get rid of me anymore than I can get rid of you beautiful," she said while winking at her other self.

"Grrrr! Do what you want to do but don't screw up my plan or I will drag you back in here like I did the last time! Believe me! I made you. I can find a way to finally unmake you!" she yelled before vanishing into the shadow again.

Kurumi smiled over at the setting sun, "Mhmm… Heard it before beautiful…" she said before humming a tune and skipping to the beat. "Hickory Dickory Dock, the boys ran up the clock. The clock struck one, the boys ran down! Hickory Dickory Dock… Hehe" she finished with her eye closed and a bright smile with her head tilted just slightly to catch that last beam of sunshine.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the little delay in getting this chapter out. I was away over the weekend and couldn't finish it up in time. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

It was night time in the mountain city of Sapporo, winter had just started and the night was bitter cold. Icy rain was pouring down as Shido pulled his younger sister by the arm. The two ran as quickly as their little legs could carry them. Panting heavily, sweat, tears, and rain indistinguishable as they ran across a busy street causing drivers to brake and swerve into each other as they made their way through traffic to the other side. Shido with his eyes set firmly on what was ahead of him, his sister with her eyes set only on him. Behind them an older man yelled for them to stop and come back, but neither would listen.

"Onii-chan?"

"Just keep running! Don't stop for anything!"

A few minutes later the two had taken refuge behind a dumpster next to a restaraunt. The smell of rotting food was provoking their gag reflexes but both remained as still and quiet as they could until they heard the sound of running footsteps and the accompanying splashing pass them by. But it was still too soon to come out of hiding. They would have to wait a little longer before it was safe to emerge and flee in another direction.

The siblings later took refuge from the rain under a bridge. Their breaths frosty in the cold winter air. Huddled close together for warmth. Shido rubbed his hands together for a long moment before activating his magic circuits, with his eyes tightly closed he worked his limited magecraft which caused the water on his sister's soaking clothes and hair to drain away from her before repeating it on himself.

"It should get a little warmer now that we're both dry…"

"It is… Thank you Onii-chan," she said while hugging him tightly. "What are we going to do now?"

"I guess I didn't really plan that far ahead… I suppose we should wait here for tonight. I tried to steal as much money as I could but it wasn't much. We'll be able to eat for a couple days, longer if we're very careful with it."

"But where are we going to go?" she asked softly while shivering beside him.

Shido held her tighter, "I heard there's a place in Tokyo that takes in kids like us and helps them. They have something to do with a company called DEM. It was the only option I could find for us with the time I had. I don't know how yet, but I'll get us there."

"If we go there, will we never have to be separated?"

"Never. I won't let anyone take you away from me Mana. Dad can keep his stupid magic crest and his secrets. I don't want to be a mage, and I don't want anything to do with magic if this is how it has to be. If we can't do it together, it isn't worth doing at all!"

"Do you promise? Promise that whatever we do, we'll do together no matter what? That we'll never be apart? Ever?"

"I promise Mana. We'll always be together from now on. No matter what."

* * *

 **Two years later  
** **  
** _DEM Training Facility  
London, England_

Isaac Westcott stood off to the side of a large gymnasium with a young woman beside him, "These are the first two I asked you here to see. I think they're perfect candidates for the new project you mentioned," she said to him.

Shido and Mana bowed before the two from where they were standing just a few meters in front of the pair.

"Let's see then…" he said in a low voice.

"You may begin," the woman said loud so she could be heard by the group of twelve children across from them.

All the children bowed before donning their protective Kendo helmets. Shido and Mana then walked out to the center of the room. Shido held up his two bamboo swords while Mana held up her single sword. The two stood back to back as the other children came running from across the opposite wall and began to surround them with loud and furious yells.

Shido and Mana closed their eyes, " **Gathering Cloud Sword Style!"** they yelled in unison.

Barely two minutes went by before Isaac whistled an impressed tune. "Ten against two and they didn't take a single hit… What do we know about them?" he asked the woman beside him after the two children had finished wiping the floor with the others and allowed them to get back up and regroup.

"Shido and Mana Takamiya. Brother and sister from Sapporo, Japan. Age fourteen and twelve respectively. Sixth generation mages. Family name aside, they're typical runaways like most of the others. But they're the most difficult to deal with. They won't participate in anything unless they can do it together. They play together, train together, study together, sleep together… They may as well be conjoined twins."

"Has anyone tried to split them up?"

The woman nodded, "At our Tokyo branch where they were trained, the staff tried to keep them in separate rooms, without success. Later they tried to send him here on his own because he was older, but he became excessively violent. Normally he refuses to use magic, claiming he wants nothing to do with it. But when they tried to take him away from his sister by force he resorted to his magecraft. He dehydrated the people who tried to take him away or restrain him. Only calmed down after he reunited with his sister. So they both ended up here in London."

"What are they normally like?" he asked while observing the group's second attempt to take down the siblings without any measure of success.

"Under normal circumstances the boy is very kind and helpful to everyone. Polite. Empathetic. But if triggered he's more than willing to kill. The girl is much the same, but it's noteworthy that she's a little bit of a picky eater. Her magecraft isn't as developed as his, probably because he was the designated heir. But he's been teaching her behind closed doors to bring her up to his level. Magic aside, their combat instincts and skills are very sharp, as you can see."

"They used the name of their sword style as an aria to trigger a kind of mental synchronization I haven't ever seen before. They fight as individuals, but combine their respective skills and strategize as if they were one person fighting instead of two. Probably a result of how close they are. Do they have a healthy relationship?"

"Don't ever go there with them. They'll take exception to it. To answer your question bluntly they aren't like that. A psychologist we had here once tried to discuss their relationship with them, when he asked if anything was going on regarding _that_ subject… Well. He might never walk again."

Isaac cleared his throat, "I meant do they get along or do they argue with each other a lot? I didn't ask _that_ question..."

"They don't have any problems there. They don't argue, or fight over anything. The only time there's trouble is if they suspect someone will try to separate them. That could be an issue for your new project."

"It isn't. In fact it's even better," he said with a court nod. "Consider them recruited. Now, who are the others you wanted me to look at?"

* * *

 **Two years later**

It was the sibling's first day in Fuyuki. In the area known as New City, there was a large apartment complex owned by DEM Industries. Its purpose was to house and cater to staff as well as visitors from abroad. In one of the building's many apartments, Shido was working the kitchen. His sister Mana meanwhile sat on a barstool at the counter behind him, watching with interest everything he was doing.

"Where did you get anything to cook with? I thought they said we couldn't leave here unless it was for our mission?" asked Mana.

"I didn't go out. I gave them a list of things I know you like to eat and made them get it all," he answered casually while adding some more seasoning to the soup he was cooking.

"How'd you manage that Onii-chan?"

"I told them what I'd do if they didn't."

"Do you always have to be so violent? I wish everyone could know you the way I do," she sadly stated.

Shido switched from Japanese to English, "I really don't care about what anyone except you thinks of me. You said you didn't like the food in the cafeteria so I promised that if you'd at least have it for lunch that I'd cook you dinner. I'd never let anyone make a liar out of me. Not Ellen, not Mr. Frank, and certainly least of all these menial workers."

"Poor Mr. Frank… You could have just said no to him," she replied in English. Though her accent was much more British than her brother's who still retained a slight hint of his Japanese origins.

"Do you actually feel sorry for him?" asked Shido while looking at his sister.

"You smashed his bollocks with his own cricket bat so hard the yanks next door started cheering that you'd hit a homerun…"

"He's suppose to be our guardian… He should have known better than to suggest that only one of us could come here for this mission. What he gets for being a muppet..." he said coldly as he tasted a sample of his soup to see if it was ready or not.

"And you wonder why Nightmare keeps flirting with you… You two are really alike sometimes."

"I'm nothing like her… I hurt people sure, especially when they deserve it. But I don't kill them if I don't have to and I don't take any pleasure in it when I do. She does."

* * *

Days later, lying in a bed at the DEM Medical facility, Shido was restless, and in no small amount of pain. The doctors had stopped administering him any pain medication. It was his punishment from Ellen, for his reckless behavior in challenging Shirou Emiya to a duel. She only healed him enough to be sure he'd recover in time for whatever it was she needed him to do. But until then he was told to remain here and contemplate his failure.

 _I deserve this. She was right. I didn't think. I should have taken Mana and left when I realized who he was. That was so stupid…_

An hour later he still couldn't sleep. It had already gotten dark, the Hospital outside was quiet. But that silence in which he'd found some small peace was broken by the sound of his door opening. Shido turned his head, hopeful that perhaps some Doctor would take pity on him and bring him some drugs to dull the pain he was in.

"Onii-chan? Are you awake?" Mana asked into the dark room.

"Mana? What are you doing here?" he asked with concern. "What about your shoulder? Ellen said you couldn't be here! What about the guards?!"

Mana walked in and closed the door gently behind her.

"Answer me sis…" he said in English to her.

"My shoulder is fine. Ellen fully healed me. They released me from the hospital but I said I wouldn't leave here without you. She told me about your punishment. She said she wouldn't allow me to see you but when I refused to leave the hospital she just left me here," she explained while gently climbing into bed with him.

"Ow ow ow. Careful! That hurts!"

"Sorry… I'll be careful," she said while curling up beside him and resting her head on his shoulder to cuddle.

"Mana… Didn't the guards try to stop you?"

"Yes. They tried," she said innocently and then yawned.

"I see… And you were giving _me_ crap for being violent," he said while carefully slipping his arm under her while Mana adjusted herself so he could hold her.

"If they didn't want to get hurt, they shouldn't have tried to get between us. That should just be common sense," she said sleepily.

Shido turned to kiss the top of her head and smiled while giving her a gentle hug. "Please don't take anymore chances like that. Otherwise we'll end up fighting Ellen next…"

"Only if she tries to make us break our promise again," she said while drifting off to sleep.

"I told you already, not even Ellen can make me a liar…" he said before finally falling asleep as well.

* * *

Shido and Mana sat down across from Ellen where she handed them each a folder to look over. "How would you two like to go to High School?" she asked with an amused tone of voice.

Shido and Mana exchanged glances and then looked at the woman, silently asking if she was serious.

Ellen gestured at the files, "Your old friend just started attending the local High School."

Shido and Mana both opened the files and started to read with growing curiosity.

"What the hell?" asked Shido.

"Why?" asked Mana.

"Both very good questions. Which we'd like you to find answers to. Nightmare doesn't do anything without an agenda. Somehow I doubt she's just trying to blend in and live a normal life like Princess and Hermit."

"Have we confirmed Hermit's death by the way?" asked Shido.

Ellen shook her head, "No. She survived."

Shido raised an eyebrow, "She survived a fifty cal to the chest?!"

"If possible. Find an answer to how that happened as well. I saw your gun camera footage and your shot was clean. She should be dead. But according to our intelligence she boarded a train with this woman to Misaki."

Ellen pulled a picture of Ciel, Len, and Yoshino out of her folder and slid it across to them.

"Do we know who she is?" asked Mana while they studied the image.

"Her name is Ciel, she's a member of the Burial Agency, a branch of the Holy Church. Well. Formerly anyway, but that's another long story we don't have time for right now. Two weeks ago they arrived in Misaki. Last week Hermit started attending school under the name Yoshino Tohno. And that's where our trail ends. None of our assets in Misaki are willing or able to go near that family, so I have to bring people in from London to look further into it."

"What about Origami? She actually missed Princess. How did that happen she's the best shot there is, was, or ever will be," asked Shido.

Ellen shrugged, "At the last moment this girl got between her and the target after she'd already fired. But that leads us into another interesting something I want you to look into as well. Her picture is in your files, her name is Kotori Emiya. Adoptive daughter of Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka. The girl was very much dead. But security camera footage from the scene shows Nightmare using some kind of magic on her to bring her back."

"Why would Nightmare care enough about this girl to save her life?" wondered Mana.

"That's why we're sending you into this school. We want answers to all of these questions. Nightmare started attending under the name Kurumi Tokisaki. She's been seen numerous times with Kotori Emiya walking away from the school with Princess acting as their bodyguard. Nightmare even joined the Archery club which Kotori Emiya participates in. We'd like you both to find out as much as you can before the former Adeptus Five is released from the hospital and returns to school. Things are bound to get complicated after that."

"As if things aren't complicated now? How are we supposed to accomplish this? Nightmare knows who we are. She'll be on guard the moment she sees us. It's not like we can just interrogate her," asked Mana.

Ellen smiled at her, "That's entirely up to you. Shido will be in the same class as Nightmare, while Mana is going into the same class as Kotori Emiya. I suggest you befriend them both. Nightmare has already shown an interest in you Shido. And Mana's never had a problem making friends."

"You want me to make ' _friends'_ with **Nightmare?** Have you gone completely mad Ellen? You've had some dodgy plans in the past but this is-"

"Oh shut up," Ellen firmly ordered. "Nightmare is the least mentally stable of all Spirits we've encountered, but for some reason she's the strictest adherent to the rules. She keeps her secrets from the masses. Eliminates witnesses. Blends in seamlessly with society. As long as you stay in public with her, we don't predict she'll do anything rash. Frankly I'm more concerned with **you** doing something stupid, than her."

"Me?!" asked Shido credulously.

"Yes you. The way you and your sister act with each other is bound to attract a few negative comments from the oblivious mundane masses. If I had a choice I would have brought in Adeptus Four for this mission but Isaac says I should use the two of you. So against my better judgement that's what I'm doing. So! I'm explicitly ordering you Shido! When someone inevitably says the wrong thing about the two of you, I would thank you not to trim the walls with their innards. Same goes for you Mana. Just ignore the comments and focus on your mission. We'll support you as much as we can, but how you go about it, I'll leave up to you."

Shido and Mana both nodded.

* * *

Two days later, Taiga Fujimura had an announcement to make to her class which caught everyone by surprise. Usually an announcement in homeroom meant bad news was about to be delivered and Kotori Emiya was on the edge of her seat counting off the possibilities she could imagine off the top of her head.

"We have a new student joining the class today. Come on in," she said to the door.

That certainly wasn't one of the possibilities she imagined.

Outside the door Mana took a deep breath before opening the door to enter the classroom. She took a moment to write her name on the chalkboard, in English. Being the English teacher, Taiga was pleased, but the rest of the class was confused.

"Hello everyone. My name is Mana Takamiya. My big brother and I will be attending this school as of today. I hope you'll all forgive me but this is my first time back in Japan since I was very little. I hope you'll all be patient with me and help me learn what I need to know," she said before taking a bow to the class.

The next thing Kotori couldn't help but notice was the way Tonomachi was looking at the new girl. Even with the back of his head turned to her she could see his eyes popping out of his skull. Kotori reached into her desk and felt around for something.

With a sadistic grin on her lips and an evil gleam in her eyes she withdrew a small but suitably substantial box and threw it at the back of his head with all her might.

"Ahhhhh! What the hell was that for Emiya?!" he cried out loudly, followed by the nervous laughter of his peers.

"Baka. You know what it was for. Stop staring at her so hard, you're gonna make her uncomfortable!" yelled Kotori.

"Every guy in the room was doing the exact same thing though! Why do you only hurt me?!" he asked while rubbing the back of his head.

"Look around Tonomachi. Are they still?" she asked with the same sadistic grin on her lips.

Tonomachi looked around to discover that the male population had indeed found something much more interesting to feast their eyes upon in their textbooks rather than the girl standing in front of the class.

"Well, that's one detention for Emiya. Will anyone else be joining her? The day is still young. So. Takamiya-san. Feel free to take the empty seat next to Emiya. Brutality aside, she'll probably be able to help you a lot since she's the most fluent in English," explained a cheerful Taiga.

"I have a nice Aunt who helps me practice…" said a shrugging Kotori.

"Flattery won't get you out of detention, but feel free to keep trying," said a smiling Taiga.

"Sorry Aunt Tiger I'll-" she started before slapping both hands over her mouth, "Oh crap…"

Taiga's eyebrow started twitching while Mana very carefully walked away to take her seat.

* * *

"Good morning everyone, my name is Shido Takamiya. My little sister and I will be attending this-"

The boy's introduction was interrupted by what sounded like a tiger's roar, followed by a lot of loud, angry, and completely unintelligible yelling. As he looked around the room he saw his teacher, classmates, and even Nightmare herself empathetically wincing at the sound.

* * *

When lunch time came around, Tonomachi was still rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head while Kotori had her face shamefully buried in her hands.

"So you really called her 'Aunt Tiger' in front of the whole class?" asked Kurumi though her snickering.

Kotori couldn't lift her face up. "I'm never going to hear the end of this from her…"

Meanwhile Shido handed Mana a pre-made lunch box while he waited in line to make his selection from the cafeteria staff. As she searched for a place to sit she was called over, by Nightmare of all people.

"Hey Mana? Why don't you come sit with us? We won't bite... much," she said before giving what Mana could only describe as a Cheshire Cat grin. She looked normal, aside from the bangs and eyepatch covering her yellow eye. But Mana had seen that smile before, usually right before she did something especially brutal. The only comfort she took was the fact that Nightmare indeed seems to follow the rules.

"You actually know the new girl in our class senpai?" asked a curious Tonomachi.

"Her big brother is my class. So yes. You could say that," she said with her toothy grin.

Mana took a breath and slowly nodded before going to take a seat to the right of Kotori, who had the other boy from their class, Tonomachi, sitting on her left.

Kotori sighed before finally lifting up her head, "Until Tokisaki-senpai showed up, this table was exclusively reserved for Tobiichi and I… She's gonna be mad when she gets back…"

"As I understand it, it used to just be her table until you showed up," said Kurumi while holding a thoughtful finger to her chin while her other hand traced over a mark on the table which she then looked down at and grinned, "But it seems you weren't unwelcome here," she said while tapping the marking in the table.

Mana raised an eyebrow while Kotori stared dumbfoundedly at what Kurumi was pointing out. It was two sets of initials, KE and OT, surrounded by a heart.

"Somehow I don't think this is your handiwork Kotori Emiya. This must have been Origami Tobiichi. Right?" said Kurumi with a big smirk at the tsundere girl's flustered reaction.

"S… so what?! We're best friends! She's just marking our territory! Which you're all invading right now!"

Mana looked around and was about to stand up and leave when Shido put a hand on her shoulder and made her sit back down. "Relax sis. She's growling but if she really wanted everyone away from this table something tells me she wouldn't have a problem making it happen."

Kurumi turned her grin up at Shido, "Very astute, Shido. But what drew you to that conclusion?" she asked in a sultry voice which had Tonomachi shifting uncomfortably in his seat and adjusting his legs.

"Just a hunch…" he said with exasperation while taking a seat beside Kurumi, as far from her as the table seating arrangement would allow him to.

Kurumi leaned over to inspect his food selection, "Yaki Soba and Durian Bread? Very brave choices. Hope you brought a toothbrush with you. You'll need it after eating that," she said with an amused voice. She then turned her eye on Mana's lunch box, "What is that exactly?" she wondered.

Kotori peeked over at Mana'a lunch as well, "That actually looks really good…"

Mana looked down at her food uncomfortably while Shido spoke up proudly to explain it, "It's Lamb and Apricot Curry, Cannelloni with Spinach topped with some Parmesan Cheese. One of my specialties."

Kurumi giggled with amusement, "I had no idea you were a chef. So why only make her a lunch and not yourself?"

"Mana isn't used to eating these kinds of things," he said while gesturing to his own tray.

 _It's taking everything I have not to just attack her right now… If she makes one joke about Mana being a picky eater I'm going to lose it!_

"I'm a little spoiled to be honest," said Mana, "I'm used to living in England. But it's not a problem for me because Onii-chan loves to cook."

Kotori nodded, "I get that. My dad's a decent chef as well. You'd probably get along with him Takamiya-senpai."

"I'm a decent cook too…" said Tonomachi with his hand raised.

"Keep telling yourself that," said Kotori while patting his shoulder. She then pulled out a lollipop and started unwrapping it, "But if you want to be useful, why don't you go get me a refill," she said while handing him her cup.

Tonomachi took the cup and looked at the long queue, "Are you joking?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? Move it!" she demanded with an angry glare in her eyes.

"Fine. Fine… Guess I'll get myself something too…" he said with an irate groan while standing up and leaving.

"So… Now that he's gone. You're the two my pops beat up. The one's who put Tobiichi up to shooting at us that day. And one of you I guess shot my cousin. You're either both really brave, or really stupid to come here like this," she said before giving the boy a sadistic grin and then put the candy treat in her mouth.

"It's the latter, I assure you," said Shido with a sigh of resignation.

"I don't know what you two hope to accomplish here, but you can forget about it."

Kurumi gave a slow nod, "But you can definitely stay if you want to Shido… Maybe we can go out on a date again sometime," she said while leaning over towards him and winking.

Shido jumped back at her sudden proximity to him, "That was before I knew who and what you were, Nightmare," he said through clenched teeth.

"You don't have to call me that here, or ever, Shido. You can call me Kurumi," she said with a voice so saucy it was making even Kotori uncomfortable enough to check to make sure she even still had a lollipop in her mouth.

"Is that even your name?" asked Mana with an angry glare.

Kurumi pulled back and folded her hands over her chest before putting a finger to her lips in contemplation, "What? Did you really think 'Nightmare' was my real name? Who came up with that anyway? It's so lame. Like what some silly kid playing an online game would use to make people think he's cool."

"Spirits never have names, except what we give them," said Mana in a firmer voice.

"Shows how little you know. It's not like anyone ever asked me for my name before they started shooting at me. But… I can't help but be amused by your sudden hostility towards me. Until I started flirting with Shido you were all calm and normal. Are you jealous maybe? Worried he might like me more than you? He did barely restrain himself before he knew what I was."

Kurumi finished her statement with a wink at Mana which further infuriated the younger girl.

"Don't let her get under your skin Mana. You know how she is. And you _Nightmare_ , don't mess with my little sister or I'll start messing with you," he said with a deathly glare in his eyes directed at the raven haired spirit. "Right here, and right now. I don't care about the stupid 'rules' of the Mages and whomever," he said firmly, but in a low enough voice to be discreet about the subject matter.

"Ara ara… Please don't tease me like that Shido. You know how hot and bothered I get when you start acting this way," she said with a blush and and a suddenly very shy giggle.

Kotori looked between Shido and Kurumi, "You two are so alike it's more than a little creepy…"

"I am nothing like her!" Shido growled through his clenched teeth.

"Well you both go all 'Yandere' when something you seem to care about is being bothered," observed Kotori.

"She would know Shido. She's apparently all gaga over Yanderes," said Kurumi with a wink.

Shido turned his attention to Kotori, "You know who and what she is yet somehow you're still being all friendly with her. I should be asking what exactly is wrong with you. But you're a magus. So I suppose that means everything is wrong with you."

"What are you trying to suggest?" asked Kotori in a hard voice with narrowed eyes.

"That you reek of blood…" he said through clenched teeth while narrowing his own eyes at her.

Kotori clenched her fists very tightly and bit down on the stem of her lollipop hard enough to almost completely cut it.

"Shido-kun…" said a sultry Kurumi while leaning in very close to him. There she grabbed a fist full of his jacket and pulled him in so they were face to face, catching the boy off guard and had him suddenly very nervous at the proximity, and her tone of voice.

"I told you I get excited when you start acting like that, but if you upset Kotori, you'll upset me. So don't push your luck or I might suddenly find you less attractive and more _appetizing_ ," she said before leaning in more and giving his ear a shameless lick.

"Yeah… Exactly the same…" said Kotori before she and Mana facepalmed.

"Shido isn't so risqué when he starts thinking about violence though…" added Mana.

Kotori lifted her face and turned her full attention on Mana while Shido and Kurumi were busy quietly exchanging salacious insults.

"Look… Mana. Like I said. I don't know what you two think you're going to accomplish here. But as long as you don't try to bother my friends or family I'll tolerate your both being here. I might even be nice to you since my father said he respected you both. But all bets are off the moment I think you might try something stupid. Am I clear?"

"What are you going to do if we cross this line of yours? Run home to daddy?" asked Mana in English with a cheery smile.

"Oh trust me," replied Kotori in English, "You'll wish I had."

"I'm not afraid of any magus, Kotori-chan," she said with a smirk.

Kotori grabbed and pinched Mana's thigh very hard, making the girl's teeth clench in pain while she paid the other girl back in kind, causing Kotori's teeth to clench even harder. This time the stem of her lollipop did snap off.

"If you ever call me by my first name again Takamiya… Or ever use a 'chan' with me again… I'm going to hurt you a lot worse than this."

"Likewise if you don't let go of my leg," said Mana with a forced smile and calm voice.

Shido and Kurumi both turned to look at the younger ones across the table from them. "And they said we're alike?" they each said in unison.

* * *

Shido and Mana later stood near the gate of the school, close enough to blend in, but far enough away that they could discreetly speak. Shido adjusted a device inside his ear and started speaking. "Adeptus Two here… Someone please tell me again why this was a good idea?"

"Don't be daft Shido. You know why you're doing this. So stop complaining and start flirting back with Nightmare. She's obviously more than a little interested in you," said Ellen over their communication line.

"Is there a way we can do this without having my brother actually date the most dangerous spirit we know of?" Mana wondered aloud.

"If you have a better idea, feel free to try it. But you didn't exactly make friends with your target Mana."

"I can't help it if she's insufferable…" said Mana with a growl.

"You antagonized her. Both of you antagonized them."

"We have nothing in common with them!" Shido complained. "How are we supposed to make nice with them?!"

"The two of you play those roleplaying games all day and night. Just think of it like that. Treat it like a game and pick the right things to say to make them respond better to you," suggested Ellen.

"Two questions. One. I'm really curious if you managed to say that with a straight face. Two. Do you realize how stupid that actually sounds? Even to kids like us?" asked Shido.

"I told you I don't care how you get it done. Just as long as you get it done. Try going to their archery range with them or something. Find an opportunity to make friends with them!"

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that when they already know who we are?! Hello? Ellen? Answer me damn it! Ellen!" Shido pulled the communication device out of his ear when he realized the line was cut and stuffed the device back into his pocket while Mana did the same.

"I suppose it's a good thing basic archery was included in our training," Mana mused aloud.

"Fat load of good that'll do us… Japanese Archery is nothing like Western Archery…"

* * *

Kurumi and Kotori were both dressed for Archery practice, but most of the students had already left by this point. As Kotori was determined to practice and increase her abilities she refused to miss a day of practice. Kurumi had volunteered to stay behind with her after practice had officially ended to get in some more training for herself and to help Kotori with her own. Meanwhile, Shido and Mana had casually walked in to observe them, much to Kotori's chagrin but Kurumi forced her to ignore them and focus on her own training.

"I've noticed you tense up right before you release your arrows. It's what's throwing off your accuracy. You need to stay relaxed and calm through the whole motion," said Kurumi while critiquing Kotori's movements. "Don't be afraid of the string hitting you. If your posture is correct, it's impossible for that to happen."

The twin tailed girl groaned in irritation, "That's exactly what happened to me… I guess it's just a memory, or a phantom pain, or whatever you wanna call it."

"I figured… Just relax, trust yourself. You have it all down. You just need to know you won't screw up," said Kurumi while tapping Kotori's feet with her own bow to remind her to correct her posture.

"You never told me, how do you know so much about Kyudo? Where did you train?" wondered Kotori while adjusting her feet.

"Oh I've just been around a few times and learned a bit of this and that. Now focus!"

"It's hard to focus with those two staring at us like that…" said Kotori while nodding her head to the back wall where Shido and Mana were sitting.

"Just think of it as practice. When you eventually compete you'll have people actually watching and judging everything you do. If those two can throw off your concentration you'll be a wreck in the important moment," she explained while patting the top of the girl's head firmly to ensure the words would get through to her.

"Alright! Alright! Stop doing that! It's annoying!"

"If you were here for the start of practice instead of detention I might not have to," said a grinning Kurumi. "Really Kotori-chan, if you want to publicly humiliate your boyfriend you should try putting him in some doggy ears and a tail, then take him for a walk. Honestly. I didn't think I'd have to teach _you_ things like this!"

Kotori's eyes widened at Kurumi, "If you can't stop calling me 'Kotori-chan' at least never tell me another of your perverted fantasies! Is that an acceptable trade?"

"You didn't deny that he's your boyfriend this time. I find that interesting…" she said with a giggle while taking a step back.

"Well I did get this vivid and disturbing image of you walking that boy on the date you went on with him…"

Shido winced uncomfortably and balled his fists tightly.

 _Damn it… I can't make nice if I snap at them for this… They're trying to make me snap… Ellen… I'm going to find a way to make you regret this later!_

"If it helps. I would never give him that privilege, I assure you. My most special kinks are reserved for someone very special. Someone I know can enjoy them," she said with a wistful smile while looking up at nothing in particular.

Shido palmed his face while Kotori lowered her bow and looked deep into Kurumi's soul.

"What a freak job… You make me want to take a look inside your twisted head. For science! I think I should take you to the school counselor tomorrow… She can probably make a career out of you," said Kotori while drawing out her bow.

"She doesn't need a counselor she needs an exorcist…" said Shido through his palm.

"Trust me Kotori-chan. If you ever got to see inside my head you'd know that madness is the very least of my problems," she said with a wink. "Now, take your shot and let's see what you've learned!"

Kotori lowered her bow and then adjusted her stance again, she raised the bow, drew it back as she lowered it into position and launched the arrow.

Kurumi took a few moments to chastise her movements before turning her eye on the range. "That aside… You did manage a decent hit. But don't let that go to your head. Never slack off on anything. Hitting the target is meaningless if you don't follow through correctly!"

Mana leaned over so she could whisper to Shido, "This is unreal… The way Nightmare is with her."

Shido shook his head, "I've seen this side of her before. She can be a very nice girl. That's how she tricks you…" he whispered back to his sister.

A moment later they turned to find both Kurumi and Kotori staring at them. "So do you two just wanna sit there and spy on us? Or do you wanna actually give this a try?" asked the younger girl.

* * *

"So where's Tohka today? It's after dark, shouldn't she be walking you home? Especially right now?" asked Kurumi from beside Kotori as they walked up the street after locking up the Dojo.

"She's at home since Aunt Tiger went over for dinner tonight and I wanted to practice, he decided he'd give you a chance to earn his trust," explained Kotori.

"Is it his trust or yours I have to earn?"

Kotori looked behind her back at the two siblings walking behind them, "Let's not have this conversation in front of the spies. Do you wanna come over for a bit tonight? Pops made Teriyaki Rib eye…" she said while rubbing her mouth to make sure she wasn't drooling.

Kurumi's eye widened at that, "Mmm… I haven't had that in ages… Steaks marinated for no less than two hours in a special secret sauce before woking to medium rare perfection…"

Kotori raised an eyebrow at her vivid description of the food while to Shido's surprise, Kurumi was starting to drool, and to his surprise, so was he. He quickly decided to dig out his phone and started writing that down.

"Could you elaborate on that sauce? I wanna try and make that…" he asked while his hand was ready to start typing into his phone.

"Dream on… Like I'm going to reveal the secrets of the Emiya kitchen to outsiders! My father keeps his culinary secrets more closely guarded than he keeps his thaumaturgical secrets! Not even I know what's in that sauce!"

"Probably because nobody wants to see the cremated remains of a cow on their plates," said a giggling Kurumi.

"She's like me then. Anything I cook has to be served up in an urn as well…" Mana shamefully admitted.

"Even microwaved popcorn…" added Shido while patting his little sister on the head.

"Ok… Even I can microwave popcorn… How do you screw that up?" asked a bewildered Kotori.

"It was one time, and I accidentally left it in too long because we were watching Chelsea versus Liverpool and Chelsea scored a goal in the first two minutes while I was making the popcorn and I was really excited to see the replays and forgot about the microwave…" she said with her head down.

"Are you talking about a sport?" wondered Kotori.

"Football. In England that isn't just a sport. It's very serious business," said Kurumi with a firm nod. "The first time I ever watched a game was when Shido insisted we sit down at that Football Cafe so he could watch the game. First time I spoke to Mana was because he was on the phone with her through the whole game. Even while on a date with a girl as 'astonishingly beautiful' as me he couldn't stand to be away from his little sister. So adorable!" she gushed.

"First you told me your name was Ara. Then you dragged me all over London… then you tried to kill me. Three times in one night. But we did have fun that day… Before you tried to murder me that is."

"Ara ara! I never said that was my name. I just said 'Ara ara! Wouldn't you like to know?' and you just assumed it was my name."

"Because I forgot most of my Japanese and you said it every time I asked you for your name…" he groaned out.

"Dare I ask why you tried to kill him?" wondered Kotori.

"That's such a long and boring story," she said with a roll of her eye.

"She tried to instigate a fight between the DEM Wizards and the Clocktower Enforcers…"

"That was also fun. But I had more fun with you Shido. We should do that again sometime," she casually suggested.

"Are you trying to ask me out again? You really think I'm going to just do that after the last time?"

"Most guys are just looking for sex after a date. There's so much less pressure involved when you're just looking to stay alive after the date," said a grinning Kurumi.

 _She does have a point… Explaining why I'm wearing a wiring suit under my cloths would be so much less awkward than when I had to try and explain why I had condoms in my pocket…_

"Alright… But I am _not_ going out alone with you!" he exclaimed.

"Maybe we can get Tonomachi-kun to accompany Mana-chan? That might make it less awkward for her to be with us on a date?" Kurumi suggested while grinning at Kotori.

"Don't call me 'Mana-chan'! Only my brother can do that!"

"Notice how she's not refusing Tonomachi's company? You have some competition Kotori-chan!" said Kurumi with a big smirk on her face directed at the red haired girl beside her.

"He's a good looking guy and since he isn't initiated into our world the odds are low that you'd do something stupid with him around to see," said Mana. "Besides, if he does something stupid my big brother will tear him to ribbons!"

Kotori balled her fists and growled, "If you want to date that low life then go ahead! I won't stop you!"

"I almost feel sorry for that poor boy. He only has eyes for you but you won't even so much as try to keep him out of a potentially dangerous rendezvous with two wizards and a spirit," said Kurumi with a mournful voice.

"Hah! You assume he'll even agree to this! I very much doubt that he will!" Kotori proudly exclaimed.

Kurumi sighed, "He won't wait around for you forever Kotori-chan. You need to give him a sign or something. Or else someone else will snatch him up from you. A girl needs to clearly mark her territory to keep the other predators away."

"What makes you, or anyone, think I'm interested in him that way? He's a nuisance and nothing more!"

"Yeah… It's pretty obvious you like him," said Shido.

"Couldn't be more obvious," added Mana.

"Are you two going to follow us all the way to our house?!"

"Our house?" asked Kurumi with a mocking grin.

"You know what I mean! You're my friend so obviously my house is your house! These two are spies and aren't ever setting foot inside!"

"Relax Emiya… Mana and I are taking the next turn up for a bus to New City where we're staying. We're not following you home. Much as I admire your father, I don't think he'd be pleased to see us just now…"

"You got that right! So beat it!" she petulantly demanded.

"As you wish Emiya… We'll see you tomorrow," said Shido while Mana remained silently beside him.

* * *

While on the bus later, Mana gently took a hold of Shido's hand and held it tightly.

"What's bothering you sis?" asked Shido with concern.

"I'm just worried. I have this horrible feeling about this whole thing. I don't think Kotori has the first clue about Nightmare, and she's trusting her too much. You saw how close they were acting… We've seen that before. What happened to everyone who ever knew her in London."

Shido slowly nodded, "Shirou Emiya doesn't have to be our enemy. He'd be on our side if he knew what the spirits were all really like. If we're careful, we can protect Kotori and show her father what Nightmare and Princess are really all about. Then we'll have a reliable and powerful ally."

"I don't think Ellen would care for that plan…"

"I can't rightly say I give a damn what she'd care for. It's the right thing to do. Or do you think I'm wrong?"

"If I did, would it matter?" she asked while turning to look into his eyes.

Shido sighed and brought her hand up where he gently kissed it, "Your opinion is the only one that matters to me."

"I think your heart is in the right place big brother. But I think this is a risky plan you're formulating. But if this is what you want to do, I'll support you like you always support me."

"You don't like Kotori Emiya do you?"

Mana shook her head, "No… I actually like her just fine. It's not often I meet someone brave enough to butt heads with me like she did today. I respect that about her. Even if she doesn't have the first clue about me and what I'm capable of doing, I don't believe for a moment she'd back down if she did. That girl's got fire in her soul."

Shido snickered that that, "She did indeed. Who knows, if you can make at least one real friend in her by the end of this, then it'll all be worth it to me."

Mana then started giggling.

"What's funny?" asked Shido.

"I just pictured you with a girlfriend like Nightmare. If she wasn't a spirit, I think you two would be perfect for each other."

"So you think I like psychotic girls?"

"You did have a big crush on Origami for the longest time…"

"Don't remind me-" Shido started and then suddenly stopped cold and widened his eyes, "Wait…"

"What is it big brother? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Do you remember if Origami ever interacted with Nightmare back then?"

Mana narrowed her eyes and thought about it for a long time, "No. They couldn't have. That was when Origami was here in Japan working with the AST and then left the Triple S. Why?"

Shido's eyes darted around which only made Mana sit up straight and look at him with a grave expression.

"Onii-chan… You're starting to frighten me. What is it?"

"That joke Nightmare made to Kotori while they were doing their archery… I just remembered that Origami actually used to have a set of Dog Ears and a Tail… I used to try and get her to wear them for me..."

"Ok… Shido… First of all. Eww. I didn't know you were into that. Second. Couldn't that just be a coincidence? I mean all those 'What the fuck Japan' memes on the internet have to have some basis in reality..."

"Nightmare doesn't do anything without an agenda. She doesn't say anything without an agenda. I think she was trying to tell me she knew about that. But why?"

"If I had to guess… Probably because she was hoping to embarrass you on the spot but you didn't realize it until now which means you're embarrassing yourself in front of me. So Nightmare one, Onii-chan zero."

"Even if that's true… How did she know?"

Mana shrugged her shoulders, "If you're going to stay up all night thinking about it, you're only helping her make a bigger fool of you. Did you mention this while you were on your date with her by chance?"

Shido shook his head, "No way."

"I can't believe you ever liked Origami. She's so bland and cold…"

Shido sighed, "I thought she was pretty…"

"What about Nightmare? What's your excuse for that?"

Shido chuckled, "She was like a force of nature. I didn't really have much of a say in that."

Mana crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance, "Well. You can't have a girlfriend unless I approve of her!"

"Then out of interest, who would you approve of?" he asked her with a sly grin.

"The new Adeptus Five is really nice, and she likes you. I think you should date her!"

"Did she by chance put you up to this?"

Mana rolled her eyes innocently, "Whatever she may or may not have put me up to will be kept in the strictest of confidence."

"I'll think about it and give you an answer after we get back to London. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough," she said with a nod.

"And when you ever think about getting a boyfriend, he'd better be capable of kicking my ass because if he isn't I'll certainly kick his."

"You really are like a male Yandere," said Mana with a cheesy grin.

"What the hell is a yandere anyway? That's the third or fourth time I've heard that word today."

Mana pulled out her phone and leaned over so he could see the screen with her. "Something from this game Kotori showed me that everyone's playing at school. It's called 'Date A Live' and you can create characters with different personality types to date and you can let the characters interact with other people's characters. I made a character that looks like you and gave him the 'big brother' and 'yandere' personalities. He acts so exactly like you it's almost frightening!"

"Alright… Do we need to discuss how it looks that you're playing a dating sim using a character that looks and acts like me?"

Mana giggled at his reaction and then went about showing him the rest of the game. "I let Onii-chan here meet Kotori's Onee-sama and she kicked his ass. I still need to get him stuff to make him stronger and all that."

"Gah… Sounds worse than Pokemon Go…"

"This beats the crap out of Pokemon Go… These characters all have these pretty sophisticated AIs. I mean he's really learning to treat me the same way you do."

Shido looked at the phone more closely while she turned it towards him to give him a better view with a knowing grin on her face.

"Imōto-chan... Who is this guy sitting with you? Would you like me to kill him for you?" read the text on the screen to which Shido narrowed his eyes disapprovingly.

"I'm her **real** brother you digitial wanker!" he yelled at the screen.

"It doesn't understand English. There's supposed to be a patch for that coming out in a couple months with the international release. You should give it a try. I'm curious to see what your ideal girlfriend might look like," she said with a snicker.

Shido rolled his eyes until he was looking out the window.

"What's really freaky though… Is that Kotori's character looks sort of like Nightmare. And acts like her too. That's why they called you a Yandere. I have a screenshot of that by the way."

Mana swiped through her phone to retrieve the image and then showed it to her brother. The character had two blue eyes, black hair in sort of the same style as Nightmare had today, or what was probably as close to it as the game could get.

"Doesn't look very much like her. But I do see a vague resemblance. So… Kotori doesn't have a big sister, right?"

Mana nodded.

"So this character is like, what? Her ideal big sister?"

"Probably something like that. Kotori's very proud of the work she's put into that character. She told me she's been at it since the game was in beta last year."

"Could that be what Nightmare is doing? Trying to act like Kotori's ideal big sister to get close to her? Without Kotori even realizing it?"

Mana's face scrunched up while she considered it. "It sounds genius enough to be one of Nightmare's plans. She's been known to go to greater lengths in the past to infiltrate a place. This would be child's play to her."

"It's a theory. Backed up by some evidence. Something to work with at least. Now all we need is a motive. What's she after? Why would she want to get close to Kotori?"

"I know where we can start trying to piece that together..." Mana reached into her pocket and pulled out her communication device which she promptly inserted into her ear. "This is Adeptus Three with an urgent request."

Mana and Shido both nodded to each other before Mana continued. "We'd like all information regarding Nightmare's past activities sent to our apartment. Along with everything we have on the Emiya family. Also include files related to subjects Princess, Hermit, and the Tohno family as well. Yes. That's right. Have it all ready for us by the time we arrive. We may have a lead."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry the last chapter wasn't so well received. Hopefully this will get those Noble Phantasms sheathed again instead of pointed at me.

 **Chapter Eleven**

Kotori brought a couple dishes of food over to the table and set them down while Kurumi was taking a moment to inspect the many pictures on the wall, particularly the ones that Kotori was in with a small and genuine smile on her face.

"Yes. I looked silly when I was smaller…" groaned Kotori as she stepped up behind Kurumi to see what she was looking at.

"Not at all Kotori-chan. I'm just seeing the proof of how loved you are. Your mother and father always look so happy with you. More than they do in any of the other pictures."

"What makes you say that?" Kotori wondered.

"Because they smile a lot brighter in the pictures with you than they do in any of the others. They were obviously proud of the things they did. But never more proud than they are of being your parents," she explained wistfully.

"What's with you all of a sudden? You're like a totally different person…"

"I like pictures. They hold a lot of memories. A lot of feelings from the people in them. More than any other object. Pictures are proof of life. Proof that you existed. Without them, it's like you never existed at all. They tell you that once upon a time, these people were in that place, and they were happy there. You can feel the energy coming from them if you know how. Feel it beckoning your curiosity and imagination so your mind can put together the story from this one moment in time which has been preserved for posterity."

"That's really deep… But I'm really hungry. So can we eat? I'll tell you all about those pictures later on," she said while walking back to the table.

Kurumi sighed and walked behind her, "Telling the stories ruins the experience though. It takes away some of the mystery," she explained while sitting herself down and looking at the food with a big grin. "But now that I see this…" she said while clasping her hands together.

"Itadakimasu!" they happily exclaimed together before they started eating.

A few minutes later Shirou walked into the living room, his hair still damp from a recent bath. He stopped at the threshold of the living room where he could see Kotori and Kurumi eating at the table.

 _Something about them eating quietly together like that… As if they've done it all their lives._

He walked into the room and greeted them quietly, Kurumi was about to stand up and greet him properly but he gestured for her to remain seated. "No need to get up. You're probably hungry. Enjoy the food and our hospitality. It's the least we can do after what you've done for us," he said while moving into the kitchen.

"Thank you very much… It's a pleasure to be here…" said Kurumi in a low voice before turning back to her food. She had a forlorn look in her eye for a short moment before she smiled and started eating again.

Kotori didn't let that go unnoticed but said nothing aloud before she started eating again as well.

 _Maybe she's like Tohka? She's never experienced what it's like to be welcome anywhere, especially in a warm and loving home?_

"Are you going to make tea?" asked Kurumi.

Shirou turned around with the kettle in his hand. "That's exactly what I'm doing. I like to prepare my evening tea the old fashioned way. The way my father used to do it. It's sort of a tradition in this house to have tea in the evenings on the veranda. Though Kotori very seldom joins us anymore… But you should feel welcome to join us anyway," he offered their guest.

"I'd like that. Thank you very much," answered Kurumi before smiling back down at her plate.

"Kotori… About what happened in class this morning? Did that boy really deserve what he got?" asked Shirou in a calm voice that betrayed none of his emotions.

Kotori rolled her eyes, "I think he did..."

"Don't do that again. There are some things your mother did that you're much better off not emulating. But even she never threw blunt objects at her classmates during class time," he pointed out to his daughter.

"I'm sorry… It won't happen again," said Kotori with her eyes downcast.

Kurumi snickered softly, "I know I already scolded you for it, but your father is probably right. Besides, if you're going to hurt people, the trick is to do it without getting caught."

"Please don't encourage her…" said Shirou with an exasperated sigh. "We have enough problems without the Tiger complaining about Kotori's behavior during meals."

"I understand Pops. I won't let it happen again," she repeated herself before turning her full attention back on her meal.

* * *

Shirou set down his tea set on the veranda and poured out a cup for himself. A moment later Tohka came out and took a seat beside him, helping herself to the tea without disturbing the peace of the evening. She set the hot cup down beside her and took a moment to lean back and rest on her hands to gaze up at the sky.

"The moon is so big and bright tonight. It's so pretty," remarked Tohka. "But why does the moon look different every night I wonder?"

Shirou slowly nodded while a smile curled onto his lips. "It has to do with the position of the moon and how much sunlight it's reflecting-" Shirou looked at Tohka and suddenly remembered whom he was talking to. "Sometimes science kind of makes it boring… Why do you think the moon looks different every night Tohka?"

"Because it wants us to know that things change and get bigger, brighter, and prettier?" she said almost shamefully.

Shirou smiled and reached over to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze, "I like that answer. It's so quintessentially Tohka. Always remember that. Things can seem bad, but somehow they always seem to get better in the end."

Tohka nodded firmly, "I will!"

* * *

Meanwhile Kurumi looked out at the veranda through the open doors of the living room while Kotori cleaned up the dishes. "Your father and Tohka seem very close. They're kind of cute together," she said with a smile.

"They are adorable together, yes. But they're not romantic or anything like that. You could call her his apprentice, or disciple, or whatever something like that you want to call her."

"You mentioned he was dating your friend's guardian. How's that going by the way?"

"It's so cute. She calls him every night, they see each other as often as they can. She even sneaks away from work to spend a little time with him every few days. Lately though she hasn't been around. She's been spending all her free time in the hospital with Tobiichi. Speaking of which I heard she's finally allowed visitors so I'm going to go see her tomorrow after school. So I might have to miss practice."

Kurumi nodded, "I understand. You must care about her a lot?"

Kotori smiled while drying off the last dish. "I do. Very much. She's a good friend."

"I would imagine so. Loyal and trustworthy friends are hard to come by. You should always keep them close when you find them."

"I agree," said Kotori after putting the last dish away. "So. Shall we join them for tea?"

The two walked over to the veranda where Kotori took a seat next to her father, Kurumi meanwhile took a moment to help herself to the tea. Spotting a particular cup she smiled and reached for it.

Shirou put his hand over the cup that Kurumi reached for, "Take the other one, this one has a chip in the bottom of it. Wouldn't want you to accidentally cut yourself."

Kurumi raised her eyebrow at that but still took that cup anyway. "It's fine. I think it gives this cup some character," she said while pouring the tea into said cup. She then picked it up and felt the broken bit at the bottom. "Some klutz probably forgot that fresh tea is very hot and dropped the cup into the tray right about here…" she explained while feeling a dent in the serving tray after setting down the pot.

It was Shirou's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I'm not sure when it happened. But that sounds right. I've been meaning to replace that cup but-"

"But it only comes as a full set. It's fine, really. You shouldn't replace something that's still useful, feels a little cruel. It's still a perfectly good cup that someone like me will enjoy," she said smiling while standing up to go sit beside Kotori.

Kotori and Shirou both looked curiously at Kurumi for a long moment which made her lower her gaze and blush. "Do I have something on my face?" she wondered with a small giggle.

"Who are you and what have you done with Kurumi?" the red haired girl asked.

"Ara ara… What are you talking about?"

"The way you're acting. Normally you're so… What's the word? Intimidating? Scary? Direct? Blunt? Mysterious? But right now you're being deep and philosophical," explained Kotori the best she could.

"I just feel comfortable here. I can just be myself," she said with a cheery smile, eye closed and head tilted.

"Well. We certainly want you to feel comfortable here," said Shirou.

"These are wonderful people. As long as you mean them no harm you're very welcome here," added Tohka.

"Don't worry. My fight isn't with any of you," said Kurumi before sipping her tea.

"Who are you fighting against? DEM?" wondered Shirou.

Kurumi nodded, "Partly. Yes."

Shirou narrowed his eyes at the cryptic answer, "Would you mind elaborating?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea…"

"We might be able to help you. If you want us to trust you, you should try trusting us as well," said Kotori.

"Actions have consequences. If I tell you, you'll want to help me. If you help me, you'll get involved. If you get involved, you could get hurt. If you get hurt, everything I've been through until now will have been for nothing."

"Why do you care about us so much? We don't even know you," asked Tohka.

"Too blunt Tohka… But. It is what we're all wondering…" said Shirou.

"We're already involved anyway… So what's the harm if you just tell us?" asked Kotori.

Kurumi forced a smile onto her lips and looked up at the row of heads all turned to her. "Just trust me when I say that the less you know, the better it would be. All I can say for now is that a very long time ago DEM took something from me. I'm trying to get it back. That's really all I can say for now. So please don't ask anymore questions. In time, if I can. I'll tell you more."

Shirou nodded slowly in understanding. "Alright. I'll let it go for now. But just tell me this. You're going to protect Kotori? I can trust her with you?"

Kurumi nodded, "I can't tell you why just yet. Only that I will. I can tell you that everything I'm trying to accomplish depends on her being safe," she said while setting down her teacup. "Mind if I use the restroom?"

Shirou shrugged, "Down the hall, to the right."

After Kurumi left Kotori sighed, "Why is it that every time I think I'm about to get an answer out of her I only come away with more questions?"

* * *

Kurumi closed and locked the door behind her before reaching up with her hand towards the light bulb where she cast a spell to turn it off again. There in the darkness she was face to face with her other self.

"What's with you beautiful?" asked the Kurumi in the orange dress.

"Switch places with me," she demanded.

"Switch places with you? Why would I do that?"

A single tear escaped her red eye before she closed it and groaned with irritation, "Because you're a better liar than I am!"

"You know I'm really busy right now. I don't have time to indulge in this sort of thing. That's what I keep you around for!"

Kurumi opened her eye and stared into her other self but said nothing.

The orange Kurumi sighed, "Oh my… You should have known better. This is so unbecoming of me. You're actually embarrassing me right now. Very well. I'll take your place. But I expect something in return for it. At least an hour's worth," she said while pointing at her yellow eye.

Kurumi nodded, "Agreed."

Both Kurumi's lifted up their hands and their cloths dissolved to be replaced with the other's ensemble.

A moment later the darkness gave way to light and Kurumi looked around at where she was standing. "Whatever. I had to go anyway..."

A short while later Kurumi walked through the living room but spotted something out of the corner of her eye she felt compelled to look at more closely. It was one of the pictures on the wall which brought a smile to her face. It was a young girl pictured outside a hospital with Shirou and Rin. She had a blue eye and an eyepatch. She then took a moment to adjust the eyepatch she was wearing and fluffed out her bangs to cover it up using her reflection in the framing glass "That's very interesting… Why didn't she notice that one? Always so focused on what isn't there to notice what is."

* * *

Kotori smiled up at the black haired girl when she returned and resumed her place beside her. She gently picked up her tea cup and had a sip from it.

"Kurumi. We were just talking. It's getting a bit late and we're wondering if you'd maybe like to stay over tonight?"

Kurumi looked up at the younger girl, "Oh my. That's very kind of you but unfortunately I have things to do tonight. Some other time perhaps?" she said while feeling the chip in the tea cup with her fingertip.

"If you're sure. I'm just a little worried about you walking home all by yourself. Where do you actually live anyway?"

Kurumi shrugged, "Not far from here, I assure you. I appreciate the concern but it's very misplaced. After all, I'm exactly the sort of person you're afraid I might run into on my way home," she said with a small grin and that gleam in her eye which made everyone suddenly feel a little uncomfortable to be near her.

Kurumi then drank the last of the tea in her cup before moving over to set it back on the tray. "Well. Thank you so much for having me over. But I should get going now."

Kotori nodded, "I'll walk her out," she said while standing up.

* * *

At the door Kurumi took a bow, "Thank you again for letting me come over. I had a good time."

"Hang on a second Kurumi. We didn't discuss what we're going to do about those two?"

"What two?" she asked with a blink of confusion.

"What two? I'm talking about Shido and Mana. Who else?" asked Kotori with a furious growl.

"Oh… Those two. Would you like me to get rid of them? It wouldn't be a big deal," she said before salaciously licking her lips.

"I thought you had a little crush on Shido…"

"Oh. I do. But just a little one. Oh that reminds me," she said while kneeling down and reaching into a shadow being cast onto the sidewalk.

Kotori raised an eyebrow at that, "How are you doing that? Is that your spirit power?"

Kurumi grinned at her, "Partly. Yes," she said before pulling out her hand and then offering Kotori a tin bucket of lollipops. "Cherry flavor. Your favorite right?"

Kotori's eyes widened at what she saw and happily accepted it from her, "Chupa Chups?! These vanished from the market months ago! Where did you find this?!"

"I have my sources. I just hope you'll enjoy them," said Kurumi with a big grin.

"Damn right I'll enjoy them! I don't know how to reciprocate though… I'll have to find you something you'll like."

"Don't worry about it," said a smiling Kurumi. "About the Takamiya siblings. Just ignore them for now. I'm rather curious to see what they think they'll accomplish. Oh… And you're going to see Tobiichi tomorrow… That's right," she said before kneeling down and reaching into the same shadow again where she pulled out a small stuffed animal. "Could you give her this for me?"

Kotori took the toy and looked at it carefully. "Kurumi… Do you know what this is?"

"Considering what I went through to find it, I probably know better than you dear," she said with a wink. "Bye bye for now," she said before walking into a shadow on the street and vanishing from sight.

"Is Tobiichi even into collecting these things?" Kotori wondered aloud while closing the gate.

* * *

After school the next day Kotori wandered into the military hospital. After a moment to get directions from one of the staff she eventually found her way to the room she was looking for where she gently knocked.

"Come in!" she heard Ryouko yell loudly enough to make Kotori cringe before opening the door.

"Ryouko… It's a hospital. You shouldn't yell like that…" she chided the woman while walking in and gently closing the door behind her.

"Hey Origami. Look who's here!" she said happily.

Kotori walked into the room and looked to the bed with a small smile. "Hello Senpai…"

Origami froze up and looked at Kotori with shaking eyes. "Emiya…"

"How are you feeling?" she asked while moving to take a seat on her friend's bedside.

Origami looked away and tensed up at Kotori's proximity.

Kotori could feel the turmoil in her friend's mind as if it were in her own somehow. Even Ryouko noticed and stood up.

"I'll go get some coffee or something. You two must have a lot to talk about..." she said while excusing herself from the room.

Once the door was closed Kotori reached out and took a hold of her friend's hand. "Tobii- Origami. Could you please look at me?"

"I can't… Not after what I did… The way I failed you. In the worst possible way. I betrayed you. I shot you… You shouldn't be here. You should hate me right now."

"Origami… Look at me. I'm alright. I don't hate you. I could never hate you. I love you. Very much. You're the closest thing I have to a sister. You're my best friend!"

"I betrayed your trust. You trusted me. And I helped set a trap for you!" she yelled while still being unable to look at Kotori.

Kotori would have felt her heart shatter if not for the fact that Origami was holding her hand and squeezing it. "I know you did. But I also know that you would never have done that if you didn't believe with all your heart that you were doing the right thing. I know in your own way you thought you were protecting me. Yes you did fail miserably, and you did shoot me, that did hurt like hell. But I'm still alive. So if you need me to forgive you. I forgive you."

Origami quickly sat up and pulled Kotori into a tight hug. "How can you even be here? How can you even look at me?" she tearfully questioned.

"You're my friend…" she said while hugging her back. "If it was anyone else I'd be mad as hell. But not with you. I know you too well for that."

"I don't deserve your forgiveness…"

"I don't give a crap what you think you deserve. I decide what you deserve! So accept it!" she yelled while holding her tighter.

Origami laughed a little at her friend's audaciousness while slowly releasing her from the hug.

"I brought you something," she said while reaching into her bag and pulling out a little box which she handed over to Origami.

Origami eyed it curiously before accepting it, she opened it and then gazed at the contents for a long moment. She pulled out two pieces of what was once a crystal panda. "It's nice. Thank you."

"Oh crap! I totally forgot!" she said with a massive facepalm. "I got mad at Tonomachi and it was the only thing I had handy that I could throw at him… I forgot what it was…"

"It's quite alright Kotori. Knowing it brought him pain after he upset you makes me happy," she said with a small grin.

Kotori laughed it off, "Yeah… I threw it at him yesterday morning and he was rubbing his head all day. Oh yeah…" she said and then reached into her bag again, "Someone asked me to give this to you for them…" she said while pulling out a little dog shaped toy with black patches on the sides of its head for ears, eyes, and a matching black tail which she then handed over to Origami.

The white haired girl stared at it. And stared at it. Just when Kotori thought she was about to speak she just stared at it some more.

"Spot… He's the last one missing from my collection of the original nine beanie babies…" she remarked while looking at it in shock, another fresh tear streaming down her eye. "Who asked you to give this to me?"

"Umm… Yeah… About that. Promise not to overreact?"

Origami turned to Kotori and stared at the nervous smile she was wearing. "Tell me," she demanded.

"Well… Uhh… It was Kurumi."

"Who is Kurumi?"

"Uhh… She's the one you might know as 'Nightmare' heh…"

"The one who saved your life?"

"Yeah… Umm. She's been coming to school lately and hanging around with me… It's a long story."

"I have nothing but time…" she said coldly while laying back in her bed with the beanie baby cradled gently in her hands.

Ten very awkward minutes of catching her up on everything that's happened later…

Origami sighed deeply after Kotori finished retelling the events.

Five minutes of awkward silence later…

"It seems I owe this spirit a debt… She corrected my failure... Why can't things just be simple? Last month I knew who my friend was, and I knew who my enemies were..."

"There's just one more thing I need to tell you…" said Kotori while taking two fist fulls of her skirt and a very deep breath. "I'm a magus," she blurted out.

"I already knew that," said Origami with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"You what?!"

"I already knew that," she repeated. "But why are you telling me this?"

"Because Ryouko found out… And I hate that she knows something about me that you don't… I don't want to have any secrets from you. But more importantly. How did you know?!"

"It's a long story. But the short of it is that your father was required reading while I was training at DEM… Given who your parents are. The odds of you not being a mage yourself were astronomically low. I just didn't care."

"So you knew my father was a magus and still agreed to fix Ryouko up with him?"

"Your father is famous for not being an ordinary mage. In every way that actually matters, I believed he could be a suitable love interest for Ryouko."

Kotori smiled happily at that, "Some of the words you choose sometimes… But thank you Senpai. That means a lot. I understand that DEM and the Mages don't really get along so I was a little worried about how that might affect our friendship."

"I left DEM to join with Ryouko and her team. But even under any other circumstances. I would still choose to be your friend."

"Even if I turned out to be a spirit?" she asked curiously.

"Even if you turned out to be a boy who likes to dress up as a girl. I wouldn't judge you."

"Alright… And I thought Kurumi was a freak job. I'm almost afraid to see what'll happen when the two of you meet."

"You didn't deny it…" remarked Origami.

Kotori binked, "Did you just troll me?!"

"Yes… I did," said Origami with a soft snicker.

"Kurumi did the same thing to me twice yesterday…"

"What are you thinking about?"

"She knows things Origami. She knew that toy was missing from your collection. She knew about a broken tea cup in our house… She knew about what was going to happen that day. She knows a lot of things that nobody should know. I need to get answers out of her. But I need your help to do it. Will you help me?"

Origami nodded, "Of course I will help you."

"Does this mean you'll stop trying to kill all the spirits?"

Origami shook her head, "Only if they give me cause to. Ryouko explained most of the situation to me and I will support her, and you."

"There's one more thing I need to tell you. Shido and Mana Takamiya just started attending our school…"

Origami narrowed her eyes and started trying to get out of bed but Kotori quickly held her down. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I need to leave this hospital now. I can't just let them roam around unchecked. They're too dangerous!"

"They aren't going around unchecked! Kurumi and I are keeping an eye on them. Tohka's been walking me to and from school. My father's got his eye on DEM. You need to rest and recover. They only want to keep you here for two more days and then they'll let you out. You can't help anyone if you hurt yourself again!"

"I am fine Kotori. I won't be more ready in two more days than I am right now!"

"Please Origami. Do it for me? I'll keep you fully up to date on everything over the phone. I will call you, text you, e-mail you. Whatever it takes. Just please stay here and rest."

"If I agree. I want regular and detailed updates. I want to know everything. What was said, how it was said. Where they sit at lunch, how they behave in their classrooms. Not just Shido and Mana, but this Kurumi person as well. I want to know everything," she firmly demanded.

"It's a deal. Now promise me you'll stay and rest."

"I promise…" said Origami with a frustrated sigh.

"Good. Now then. Let's talk about some other stuff," said Kotori with a bright smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, the bell at the Emiya house rang, Shirou got up and gestured for Tohka to remain seated while he went to see who it was.

 _It's too early for Taiga, and she doesn't ring…_

When he opened the gate Shirou was stunned speechless.

"Shirou Emiya. It's been a long time…" said an older man in English with a polite nod of his head.

"L… Lo… Lord El-Melloi the second… At my doorstep?" asked Shirou with wide eyes.

The man nodded, "I apologize for showing up unannounced. But this wasn't something I could have potentially getting out to the wrong people. Nobody knows I'm here, and I'd like it to stay that way."

Shirou opened the gate wider while stepping back, "Please. Come in."

"Thank you. I'll try not to take up too much of your time," he said while Shirou closed the gate and then lead him inside.

A short time later Shirou served tea for his guest and then took a seat beside Tohka opposite the man.

"This must be important for you to come all the way here in person..."

"Before we begin, no offense to you young lady, but. May we speak in front of her Mr. Emiya?"

"Her name is Tohka and yes we can speak in front of her. I trust her with my daughter's life. You can trust her with anything as well. You have my word on that. Tohka, this is Lord El-Melloi the second. He was one of my teachers when I was a student in London. Someone I respect a great deal..."

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Tohka. And please. Shirou. Call me Waver. I'm not here as Lord El-Melloi the second."

Shirou swallowed the surging anxiety in his chest and forced the man's name out of his mouth, "Alright. Waver. What brings you here then?"

Waver nodded, "It's been brought to my attention that you're involved in some kind of conflict with DEM Industries?"

"I am. Yes."

"Good. I'm here to offer you my aid. If you're willing to accept it."

"You want to help me fight DEM? May I ask why?"

Waver nodded, "It's a personal matter. Hence why I'm here on my own. Without anyone in the Clock Tower knowing about it. I informed them I was taking a sabbatical to pursue some personal research."

Shirou nodded that he was following along but said nothing to the man.

"You see… Isaac Westcott took something from me. Something very personal and very valuable. He has no use for it naturally. But he did it to mock me. I don't much care for being mocked. Since I can't involve the Clock Tower in my own petty vendetta, I decided to instead offer you my assistance since you are already engaged in conflict with the DEM… _Wizards_..." he almost spat that last word as if it were something sour in his mouth.

Shirou blinked a few times, "It is a very pretentious title… But anyway. It's not that I don't want or need all the help I can get. It's just that… Your motive seems a bit… sketchy?"

"It's not my only motive. But it is the one that brought me here. Frankly I'm getting tired of DEM's machinations. I'd like to put a stop to them but conventional means aren't getting the job done. Unconventional means are your speciality Mr. Emiya. So, I've decided to throw my lot in with you."

 _I can't pass up on an ally like him… But how much can I really trust him? Only one way to find out really…_

"Lord El-Mel-"

"Waver…"

"Waver… Right. Sorry. There's a lot going on here, and I'm not sure how much you know. It's not that I don't want or need your help… Because I'm not exactly in a position where I can turn away powerful allies. But-"

"Shirou. I know enough. Your late wife came to me with a lot of what was going on back then. I'm not a fool. I couldn't help her then because I'm only one man and there was only so much I could do. And it isn't that I didn't try to help her. Because I did. There was simply nothing I could do."

Shirou shook his head, "That's not what I mean. Rin never had anything but good things to say about you. She knew you tried to help. She also knew what you were up against. That's not why I'm worried about trusting you now. Far from it. It's just that there are things here I don't want to have getting back to the Clock Tower…"

"I anticipated as much… I considered having a Self-Geis scroll prepared but I thought that might be excessive for the task at hand. As you might imagine I have very little in the way of combative ability to offer you. But I do have other resources I'm prepared to commit. Trust me with whatever you feel you can trust me with. But everything I have is at your disposal."

He then reached into his briefcase and produced a slip of paper. "I'll be staying at this address, and there's a contact number there as well. My apprentice and I will be ready and available for anything you need."

Shirou accepted the paper, "I'll naturally have to give this careful consideration. But, I appreciate the offer. So… Since you're here, would you like to stay for dinner? I was just about to start cooking since my daughter and sister should be here soon."

"I never knew you had a sister Shirou…"

"A surrogate sister really. She was someone who used to hang around my father that we just sort of got stuck with. And no, she has no idea about the other part of our lives. So.. Keep that in mind."

Waver nodded. "Perhaps another time? I still have to get settled into my accommodation and it would be very rude of me to enjoy your hospitality while my apprentice is doing all the work right now."

Shirou nodded, "Of course. I understand completely. Maybe tomorrow night? Then we can discuss how we'll go about this partnership against DEM and what our strategy will be."

Waver chuckled at that, "Reminds me of the grail war…"

Shirou sighed, "Believe me… I know exactly how you feel right now."

* * *

Kotori was walking home beside Kurumi as the sun began to set. "So how did she like the Beanie Baby?" asked Kurumi with a cheerful smile.

"It brought a tear to her eye…"

Kurumi gushed at her words, "Awww! So she loved it!"

"How did you know?"

"Know what?" asked Kurumi.

"How did you know she collected those things. I didn't even know."

Kurumi opened her mouth to say something but Kotori immediately cut her off. "If you say that you've been around and learned a bit of this and that again I'm going to lose it. I think you owe me an explanation Kurumi. You know way too much to have just picked it up by simply spying on all of us. You even knew how my father cooks his Teriyaki…"

Kurumi took a deep breath, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you the truth. Please don't ruin a perfectly good thing by asking too many questions which I can't answer for you. It's been-"

Kurumi narrowed her eye at what she saw ahead of her and put a hand out to stop Kotori from walking. "What is it?" the smaller girl asked while looking ahead.

Kurumi looked around and her face soured. "A bounded field… That was so stupid of me. How did I not notice there weren't any people around?"

Kotori looked around nervously and closed her eyes, "I can't even sense the bounded field and I didn't realize nobody was around until you mentioned it. It must be part of the mechanics. Whoever set this up is a master of the art…"

"Kotori… Listen to me carefully and do exactly as I say. If for even a moment you think this situation might become violent, I want you to turn around and run away as fast as you can and don't stop for anything or anyone. Do you understand me?"

Kotori looked ahead and saw a woman with light blond hair wearing a black business suit walking next to another woman in a pseudo military uniform with long red hair. "Who are they Kurumi?"

"Ellen Mira Mathers and Jessica Bailey… I'll tell you about them later. Now tell me you understand what I told you to do!" she demanded in a very firm voice that wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Yes Kurumi… I understand…"

 _Kurumi is afraid… Not for herself but for me. But she told me I can't be killed so why is she afraid for me now? Are these two really that strong that she'd be concerned?_

"So this is what you dragged me out here for Ellen? Nightmare and some little magus?"

"This little magus is the whole reason she came to Fuyuki. Isaac wants her alive, but we can dispose of Nightmare. Her crystal is worthless anyway."

The two women closed their eyes and their clothes vanished to be replaced with their respective CR Units. Two identical sets of armor and weapons but one was white and the other was red.

"My crystal is worthless?" asked Kurumi with the most twisted and utterly frightening grin Kotori had yet seen on her face, she put her hand up into the air and closed her eyes. "Elohim," she said to herself before being enveloped in shadows which then vanished to reveal her black and orange gothic styled astral dress. "Why don't we see about that then?"

"I'll deal with Nightmare. You grab the girl," ordered Ellen.

"Right…" answered Jessica.

"Kotori. Start running now…" she said while stepping forward with shadows forming in her hands which then dissolved to form her matching flint lock rifle and pistol set.

Kotori started to slowly back off.

"I said run!" yelled Kurumi in a loud and booming voice which got Kotori to turn on her heels and run as commanded.

"After her Jessica!" ordered Ellen.

The woman in the red armored suit jumped and took flight, only to be stopped by shadowy hands which came out of a hole directly behind her and forbade her from moving.

"If either of you want to go near her you'll have to go through me first!"

"As you wish then!" yelled Ellen while drawing her laser sword and rushing forward towards Kurumi.

"Affix bayonets!" yelled Kurumi which caused shadows to appear on the ends of her guns to form long knives on them which she then used to parry the large yellow laser sword of Ellen, locking the two in a fast paced fencing match.

Kotori stopped to turn around and look. She knew Kurumi wanted her to keep going but she couldn't just abandon the girl to fight two on one. Her principals wouldn't allow her to do that even if every ounce of her common sense told her to do as she was told.

 _Damn it…. Damn it… Damn it… She's going to be pissed at me but I don't care! All I need to do is-_

"Holy crap…" she muttered as Kurumi danced around Ellen with her musket spinning to meet and deflect her opponent's sword with the bayonet while taking shots at her with the pistol which the taller woman managed to evade or absorb with her personal shield.

Kurumi implanted the end of her rifle on the ground and used it to vault herself so she could kick the taller woman and drive her back before taking another shot at her with the pistol, her shield absorbed the hit and then pulled up her rifle and used it to slice at her before being driven back again by the woman's laser sword.

Their back and forth continued for a while longer before Ellen broke off and flew up into the air where she used her sword to sever the arms holding Jessica in place. "Go get the girl. I'll keep this one busy."

"Don't need help?"

"I don't need to fight two on one. I can handle this myself."

"Zafkiel!" yelled Kurumi which caused Jessica and Ellen to stop in place as a large victorian faced clock appeared behind the spirit.

Without waiting to see what would come next, Ellen started rushing towards Kurumi.

Kurumi then held her guns at the seven o'clock positions. "Zayin!" she yelled and then waited while smoke like darkness emerged from the clock and filled her rifle and pistol. Then she pointed her pistol at Jessica who was already flying towards Kotori at high speed. She squeezed the trigger and hit her mark. Jessica became frozen in time.

Ellen brought her sword down over Kurumi.

The spirit's eyes widened as she started moving but it wasn't going to be fast enough. Kotori's heart skipped a beat as she started running towards Kurumi as fast as she could with her hand held out and her magic circuits flooding.

"Time alter, double accel!" yelled Kurumi who then vanished from Ellen's sight only to then reappear behind her where she tried to impale her with her rifle's bayonet only to be stopped by the shield. Kurumi then planted her feet on the woman's armored wings and jumped back away from her where she then landed on a shadowy platform and started shooting at her with both guns while running around in the air with the woman flying after her.

"Amazing…" muttered Kotori with wide eyes.

 _That aria she used, some kind of innate time control that let her move at double speed long enough to turn the tables back in her favor. It makes sense. That clock must be her angel. So her spirit power has to do with time. But she probably has to summon it and take its power into her mystic codes every time she wants to use its abilities. But that woman isn't going to let her do that again. And who knows how long that spell will hold the other one…_

"Elohim Gib-" before she could finish her aria a hand came over her mouth from behind her and held her very firmly in place. No amount of self reinforcement she could safely manage was getting her free.

"Ara ara! Don't even think about it Kotori. I knew you couldn't just run away even if I told you to… You're just like me in that," said Kurumi's voice.

Kotori's eyes widened even fuller as she was slowly released. She turned around and froze in shock to see Kurumi standing there. But it was Kurumi without the astral dress.

"What? Who? How?!" asked Kotori.

Kurumi smiled at her. "Don't worry about the other me. She can handle herself. It's you I'm worried about."

"How the hell are you in two places at once?!" she demanded while gesturing to the ongoing battle.

"I'll explain later. Right now. I need to take you away from here. She can't fight at her best if she's worried about you still being here..." she said while reaching into a shadow on the floor and pulling up a rifle just like the other Kurumi was using. "I just need to make sure Jessica doesn't want to follow us after that spell wears off," she said while stepping out and taking a knee to aim the rifle.

She cocked the hammer which caused a wisp of darkness to rise up from the shadow being cast behind her by the setting sun. She then squeezed the trigger but the shadow bullet was absorbed by her shield. "Hmm… She must have had the shield up before she took the hit…"

Kurumi closed her eye and recocked the hammer to load another shot. "Oh well… Have to get serious then," she muttered while reaching into her pocket. She withdrew a red jewel which she then closed her hand around and flooded her magic circuits. After a moment she stood up and dropped the reshaped jewel into the muzzle before using the ramrod to drive it into the breech.

Kotori watched with wonder before something flickered around the red armored woman. "I think that spell is wearing off…" she said fearfully.

"Yes. It only lasts a relatively short time… That's why she told you to run away. Because you stayed she had to waste time on that spell… Anyway…" she said while taking a knee again. "This won't take long. More fun if she sees it coming."

Kurumi shouldered her rifle and took aim while mana started gathering around her and mixing with smoke like darkness rising from her shadow and then flowing into the barrel of her musket. "I am the shadow upon which I stand…" she said which caused the mana glow around her to become more intense.

Jessica then became free of the spell trapping her and started flying forward again. When she saw what was happening though, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Protect territory! Full forward defense!" she yelled in a panic.

"Won't help you…" said Kurumi with a cheery smile while squeezing the trigger.

What followed was a blast so powerful Kurumi actually fell back onto the floor from the recoil while Jessica's shield completely shattered and sent her flying out of control to crash into the ground a dozen meters away from them.

"Ara ara... I hate when I have to do that…" she said while rubbing her sore shoulder.

Kotori helped her up which she gratefully accepted. "Come on Kotori-chan. We need to go away now."

* * *

Kotori and Kurumi didn't stop running until they were finally in a crowd of people at a bus stop somewhere near the central bridge over the river. The two then kept walking towards that bridge where they eventually sat down on a bench to catch their breaths. Nobody was out walking tonight, but there were plenty of cars crossing the bridge which meant the area was sufficiently public to be safe.

Kotori took out her phone to send a message to her father. Letting him know she was alright and on her way home. The sun had already set and she knew he'd probably be worried about her by now.

"Ara ara…" Kurumi muttered while taking a few deep breaths. "She's going to be mad…"

"She's going to be mad? What about me?! Start explaining Kurumi! I think I deserve it now more than ever!"

Kurumi nodded, "I think you do deserve a little but of the truth. You wanted to know earlier how I knew so much?"

"Before we even go there-"

"You want to know how there's two of us?"

"I'm guessing that since your power is time manipulation that one of you is from the present and the other is from the future or something. Am I right?"

Kurumi shook her head. "Close. But not close enough. I'm not actually real. I'm a doppelganger. A copy of her. She's the only one of us who can summon Zafkiel. Without that, you'd be hard pressed to tell any of us apart."

"There are more of you?"

"Many more of us… Too many to know at this point. Zafkiel's power lets her create copies of herself. Clones formed from individual moments in her life. For example, one could be formed from a moment she felt like she wanted to learn how to play an instrument, just on a whim like that. Well, that copy will end up doing exactly that for as long as she exists. It'll be her whole purpose in life. So… One for pretty much every moment in her life… It can be quite crowded in there sometimes until she culls the herd a bit,

"Anyway. Our task is to spy for her, support her in battle, or run whatever errands she needs. Most are just glorified familiars with very limited free will."

"I gather that means you're different?" she asked with a serious look in her eyes.

Kurumi nodded, "Unlike the others, I formed with an exact duplication of her origin. It was one in a million really. I just came from the worst possible moment for her and now she can't get rid of me. No matter how much she might want to sometimes. She still has power over me, and I can't summon Zafkiel. But I can do anything else she can do."

"What do you mean the 'worst possible moment'?"

Kurumi shrugged, "That's a little personal. Don't worry though, it's not like I came from a moment where she felt like destroying the world. Those clones are crazy..."

"So if your angel's power is time manipulation, is that how you know so much? You're from the future?"

"You expect a magus to reveal her mysteries? Shame on you Kotori-chan! You know better than that!"

Kotori looked deep into her red eye with both of her own. "Don't try to take me for a ride right now…"

"You're a smart girl. I'm sure you'll eventually figure it out. If you haven't already. But right now, _you_ don't have the time. We need to get you back home before something else happens."

"Pops is going to blow a fuse when I tell him about this…"

"Probably. But you shouldn't keep this from him. He needs to know."

"He'll send me away to live in Misaki until he thinks it's safe for me to come back… This is so unfair. Why is this happening? What the hell did they want from me?!"

"I'm afraid this was my fault, not yours. They probably think you're valuable somehow because I'm protecting you. They obviously don't know how you're valuable yet. But, they'd find out if they got you. I can't let that happen. So you staying with the Tohno family would be the smart move."

"It would be the smart move. But not the right move… I need to get stronger so I can fight back! I'm not going to let anyone just push me around!"

"Ara... ara… You're so difficult sometimes…" said Kurumi while standing up. She then grabbed a hold of Kotori by the jacket and leaped up into the air, climbing a stairway of shadow until they reached the top of the bridge. Kotori screaming and clawing at the older girl the entire way up.

"Put me down you bitch! What are you thinking?!"

"This is for your own good Kotori-chan," she said while dropping the girl down onto the metal beam she was standing on.

"What is your major malfunction?!" yelled Kotori while pushing herself up to yell in Kurumi's face.

Kurumi shrugged, "It's time for your first lesson. Tohka can teach you the basics but there are somethings you need to know which she can't teach you. The moment you unseal your powers the AST and DEM will immediately detect you and send soldiers out to kill or capture you. I need to show you how to avoid that."

"You can do that? How?!"

"It's really stupidly easy… But because you've never really bonded with your angel you have no idea what you're properly capable of. So now I will educate you properly!"

"What?" Kotori asked nervously with her eyebrow twitching at Kurumi.

Kurumi started happily singing with a bright smile, "Tick tock, tick tock, merrily sings the clock."

Kotori blinked at the girl. "Do you have a screw loose?"

Kurumi started clapping to her own beat, "It's time for work. It's time for play. So it sings throughout the day."

"Is this really the time to have a psychotic break?"

"Tick tock, tick tock, merrily sings the clock…"

Kotori waved a hand in front of Kurumi's face.

Kurumi reached out to put a hand on Kotori's back and gently started pushing her with a cheerful smile on her face. "Spirit powers are like gravity, all you need is a little _push_ ," she said before forcing her off the bridge.

" **Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"**

* * *

Kotori hovered with her face a mere inches from the ground inside a bubble of flames while Kurumi came walking down her stairway of shadows. "There. You see? It's not so difficult. I only had to splatter you three times," she said with a happy giggle.

" **Kurumi… I am going to KILL YOU!"**

"You'd be doing me a favor if you could," she said happily with her hands behind her back, leaning down at the waist to smile at Kotori who was staring at her with fire in her cherry red eyes. "But you see. You can tap your angel for mana to use your spirit powers without even having to get into your astral dress. In fact, the only benefit of even wearing it is your spirit armor."

"You killed me three times!"

"Ara ara… I already told you, you can't die. Your angel just resurrects you and you get to start a new game. So stop whining already."

Kotori clenched her teeth tightly.

Kurumi knelt down beside Kotori with a small smile. "Kotori-chan. After everything that's happened. Do you honestly believe I'd inflict pain on you if it wasn't in your own best interest? You don't like being treated like a child. So I won't treat you that way. If you knew what she went through to become as strong as she is now you'd probably be sick."

"Aren't you two like the same person? Doesn't that apply to you too?"

Kurumi bit her lip as she thought about it, "While it's true that I have all her memories and the collective experiences of all the clones… I wasn't the one who actually had to endure all the pain and misery she's had to go through. I just have the memories of it all. So I don't really think it's fair for me to say it about myself. Do you?"

"No. I suppose it isn't…" she said while pushing herself up, the bubble of flame around her dissipating.

"Are you still mad at me?" asked Kurumi and almost shy voice.

"You killed me three times! What do you think?!"

"Want me to buy you some ice cream to make it all better?"

Kotori palmed her face.

"Come on. Let's get you home now. I think you've learned enough for one night."

"You killed me three times! You have to answer for that!"

"Fine. I'll tell you what…" said with a grin. "Since I killed you three times, I'll give you the right to three absolute commands which you may ask of me at any time. You can use them for anything. But you only get three, and they only apply to me, not any other me. Use them wisely."

"So if I told you to flash your panties in school, you'd do it?"

"That would be embarrassing. But yes. I just hope you aren't going to be petty enough to actually waste one on something like that," she said while snickering.

"You have no idea how petty I can be!" barked Kotori.

"I have a few good ideas actually…" said Kurumi with a very happy expression, her head tilted and her eye closed.

"Grrr! Fine! I accept! But I won't forgive you! Never do anything like that again! By the way. How am I supposed to know which one is you and which one is the other you? How would I know if you switch places or something? I mean… I was walking with the other you earlier and now I'm with you… Grr! This makes my head hurt!"

"That's probably from hitting the concrete three times over..." she said with a snicker.

"That too…"

"You'll just have to take my word for it that it's me and not her. Unfortunately, outside of using her angel. There's no way to tell us apart. Though, some people say I'm just a bit more mild mannered than she is but I couldn't see the difference," she said with a gentle shrug.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Just a forewarning. This chapter will be about Ciel. We also catch up with Yoshino and finally get a look at everyone in Misaki. People didn't like it the last time I went off the beaten path so I'm just giving a heads up because this one goes further off the rails than that one did.

That being said, let's begin our date!

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

Shirou growled as he paced about the living room. Kotori sat at the table next to Tohka with a sad look on her face.

"This demands a harsh response…" he said through tightly clenched teeth.

"I agree Shirou! Let's go kick their butts right now!" said an enthusiastically angry Tohka.

"We can't just go attack them randomly. We need a plan. A very well targeted strike that will send them a very clear message and make them think twice before messing with us again..."

"What do you have in mind Pops?" asked Kotori with caution.

"Kotori… Get your phone and start searching the internet. Find out if DEM have anything official going on in our area."

"Got it. Anything specific you want me to find out?" she asked while getting her phone.

"Nothing specific. I'm looking for ideas right now," he said with a nod while taking a seat at the head of the table.

Kotori swiped through her phone and started reading news headlines. "Hmm… The most talked about thing I can find is a rumor that the DEM's regional manager has been caught soliciting prostitutes. Unless you want to humiliate him publicly I don't think that'll be particularly useful."

"It might be useful later so I'll keep it in mind. What else you got?"

"Nothing. They're being very tight lipped. Another rumor says that a lot of top DEM people have been coming over from England, possibly to work with the army on some new product."

"That could be useful. I'll talk to Ryouko and see if she knows anything. Keep looking, I need to call her anyway and fill her in on what's happened. Then I need to call Ciel," he said while fishing his own phone out of his pocket.

Kotori cringed and took a very deep and nervous breath. "Does that mean you're sending me away?"

Shirou looked at Kotori's expression and sighed deeply, "I won't lie to you. I'm thinking about it…"

Kotori shook her head, "I don't want to go. It's too unfair. This is my home. Not theirs. I shouldn't be the one who has to leave. They are! I'm not helpless. I can fight back as well!"

Shirou set his phone down on the table and moved next to Kotori where he took her into a hug. "I know it's unfair. But we've talked about this. I need to know that you're safe. Otherwise I can't do what I need to do."

"You can put yourself in danger but not me? You weren't much older than me when you started fighting life and death battles you know. Kurumi and Origami aren't much older than me. I'm not powerless…"

"I know you aren't powerless. But you're not me. I survived by luck. I survived because I had people around me I could depend on."

"So do I."

"No father wants to see their child risk their lives. Your mother and I never wanted for you to become like us. I don't want you to reek of blood."

 _She does literally smell like blood though… If she wanted to tell me why she probably would have included it. I'll ask about it later though._

Kotori blinked, "That's not the first time I've heard that expression. What does it mean exactly?"

"I'll tell you later, and we'll talk about this properly. But first. Let's just focus on the matter at hand. We need to come up with a plan. Can I count on you to help me with that?"

"Of course you can Pops."

Shirou nodded and then stood up to make his calls. "By the way Kotori-chan… You do actually smell like blood right now. You should probably wash up."

"Yes Pops…"

 _Thank god he didn't ask why..._

Tohka snapped her fingers and looked up at Shirou. "What about that man who offered to help you? Why don't you call him and ask him if he has any ideas? He probably does. I mean he has to. He did come a long way to offer you his help."

"If I have to. I'm still not sure if I can trust him. He's an important member of the Mage's Association and there's a reason why Rin and I never wanted them to know about the Spirits… On the other hand. I need someone who can advise me. I want very badly for it to be him. But I can't trust him. The reason he said he came here, was a complete and utter farce. I know that much for certain. I can't trust him just because I liked learning from him in school..."

Shirou took a very deep breath. "Let me call Ciel and hear what she has to say."

"Grrr! No no no!" yelled Kotori which got Shirou's attention back to her.

"What is it?"

"DEM bought AE..." she said through clenched teeth.

"AE? What's that?"

"Asgard Electronics."

"Is that significant?"

"Yes… They're the makers of Date A Live…"

"Date a what now?"

"It's a popular augmented reality dating sim for mobile phones…"

"This upsets you why?"

"Because now every micro transaction I make in this game will give money to DEM… Grrrr! It's a big conflict of interest for me!"

"Right… Let me know if you find something we can actually work with. And stop playing that game if it bothers you..." he said while walking away to make his call.

"Back to Pokemon Go then…" said Kotori with a roll of her eyes. "Oh wait… I can't even go out on my own anymore…" she then turned to the violet haired woman beside her. "Say Tohka… Are you interested in playing a game maybe?"

Tohka raised her eyebrow, "Tell me more!"

* * *

 _ **Rome, Italy**_

It was a sunny morning while Ciel sat at a cafe near the Vatican. She patiently read a newspaper while sipping tea, Len in her cat form laying in the shade under the table beside her feet when her phone rang. Curiously she picked it up and looked at the caller.

"Shirou? Is everything alright? Yes… I have some time to listen."

A few minutes later Ciel nodded to herself, "I see… I'm a little far away right now but if you want to send her to stay with Shiki I can call ahead and make arrangements for her. Well… I'm in Rome right now… I can't really talk about what's going on, but don't worry. I'm safe. I have a lead on something big I'm about to follow up on with an old friend of ours. My advise is to go defensive for now. Yes… About him. He's a good man and Rin respected him, but she didn't trust him with any of this. You shouldn't either,

"I understand. Just sit tight. I'll be back in Japan by early next week and I'll be coming straight to Fuyuki… Trust me, when you hear what we found out, your head will explode. That's a good idea. You should do that. I'll call Shiki and let him know he should probably expect her soon… Take care. I love you."

Ciel put down her phone and sighed while picking up her tea cup.

 _Damn it… I should go back there right now but I can't just turn my back on this. Stupid Shiki, stupid Shirou. Damn you both for infecting me with your stupid!_

Ciel's grip on the tea cup tightened so much the handle broke off, thankfully it only spilled on her newspaper and not her cloths.

"Was that Shero on the phone?" asked a woman in English while sitting down at the table.

"It was…"

"I haven't seen him since the funeral… Do you think he still hates me?"

"Unfortunately, he's incapable of truly hating anyone. That's what he has me for."

"It's far too nice of a day to exchange such unpleasantries."

"Rin wasn't even in the ground when you started trying to seduce her husband. He might not hate you for that, but the rest of us do. After all we'd been through together you would have betrayed her like that. It really takes a lot of my self control not to spit on you Luvia."

"Is anyone ever going to forgive me for this one little mistake?"

"She forgave you for trying to steal him at the Clock Tower. Because of him she made a huge effort to get along with you, and God knows that couldn't have been easy for her. She saved your life more times than I can count. You saved our lives just as many times. They trusted you. They invited you into their home, let you sit at their table. Let you babysit their daughter. Introduced you to your husband. **It wasn't a 'little' mistake!** "

"Alright… It was a **big** mistake. But don't tell me you've never had any impure thoughts about that man…"

"If I ever had, do you really believe I'd admit it to you? We all have temptations. But we're defined by the ones we choose to act on. So don't try to compare yourself to me. You won't win an argument that way. Now before we go anywhere else, explain to me why you're helping me now."

Luvia Edelfelt took a very deep breath, and to Ciel's surprise, for once in her life seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "There are many reasons Ciel. Yes I screwed up in a big way but. As difficult as this might be for you to believe, I adored Rin as much as you did. Yes I'm a competitive bitch. Yes most of the time I don't think before I act. But I'm not a child anymore and I can admit to my screw ups. With this I have a chance to dispense some retribution on the people who took her from us. I've sinned against her and against her memory, so I can't bloody well pass up this opportunity to redeem myself by kicking some ass in her name. Is that a good enough reason for you?"

Ciel bit her lip, widened her eyes, and after a moment, nodded along with her thoughts, "Surprisingly… It's a very good reason. I'll take it."

Luvia nodded firmly, "So where are we at now?"

Ciel leaned forward and moved her messy newspaper away to retrieve a folder she had under it. "I'm persona non grata with the Church. I was planning to retire anyway but that's neither here nor there. The Church has a number of these Sephira Crystals I mentioned to you. One of them is about to be turned over to DEM."

"I looked into this as much as I could. They're suppose to be worthless curiosities that the church gathers because of their connections to these angels, whatever they really were. But I gather someone found a way to use them?"

Ciel nodded, "Exactly. I'm not sure what DEM's plans are for them, but I'm beyond certain that no good will come of it. Based on the limited evidence I'm working with they're about to hand over one of the most powerful crystals. Containing the power of the Archangel Metatron. Based on what I've seen from the person wielding the power of Sandalphon… They can not have this power. It's just too much."

"You're concerned their research could provoke a reaction?"

Ciel nodded, "It's not beyond the realm of possibility. My sources inside, before I became an outcast, told me they only had the one Archangel. Getting the rest of their collection is beyond our means, but we can intercept this one. The three of us can pull it off."

"This whole thing is some kind of Kabbalah mystery or something. What do we actually know about it right now?" asked Luvia.

"Not much. I could walk you through the whole Sephira but it won't do us much good. Still too much we don't know. Interpreting Kabbalah ciphers is just beyond my ability. If Rin were still alive we'd be in business, but without her brains well… We're just on our own."

Luvia nodded, "I wouldn't mind taking a stab at it later. I found out that the exchange will be taking place at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. Very public location. Neither side seems to entirely trust the other. What I want to know is, what is the Church getting out of this? They don't get along with the Association I know, but why throw in with DEM?"

"That's another reason why I'm doing this. I want the answer to that question as well. Who's your source by the way?"

Luvia looked away from Ciel, "My ex-husband… He works at DEM now," she muttered almost inaudibly.

"Right… I don't think I want to know more than that…"

"That is probably for the best."

"Alright. I just need to make a quick phone call and then we can go and start planning..." she said while picking up her phone and then tapping the contact.

* * *

 _ **Misaki, Japan**_

Yoshino blinked at the phone ringing on her desk, with one hand she picked it up and struggled for a moment to hold it while getting her thumb onto the button to answer the call.

"Hello?" she greeted in a low voice.

"Hello Yoshino. How are you and Yoshinon doing?" asked Ciel with a happy voice.

"Well… Thank you. We were just doing our homework," she answered in the same low voice.

"How's school been treating you?"

"It's getting better. I think I made a friend."

"I'm so happy to hear that!"

"Some people were near the school. Taking pictures of me and Arcueid when she wanted to take me out shopping…"

Ciel was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, "I see. What happened then?"

Yoshinon took the opportunity to start yelling into the phone, "Arcueid was so cool! She made them piss their pants and run home to mama!"

"She also bought me new shoes…" added Yoshino while looking at her new pink shoes.

"That's nice. How are you getting along with her?"

"She's very nice. I really like her. She's been helping me a lot with everything. She told me she used to be like me once so she's been teaching me things she said she wished she knew…"

Ciel went quiet at that for a long moment, "Things like what Yoshino?"

"Like what time the movie theatres work until. How to choose good movies to watch. She also taught me how to play the games in the arcade," she listed off and she could hear Ciel sighing a little with relief at every item she listed.

"That's good to hear. So you're settling into your new life alright?"

"I think so… I don't really have any problems. Everyone's been so nice. Except a few people in school who don't like Yoshinon. But Shiki said I shouldn't pay attention to them because they're unimportant misfits who are unhappy with their own lives and feel the need to take it out on us."

Ciel chuckled, "He's absolutely right about that. I'm sorry I had to leave so soon after I brought you home with me. But this was very important."

"I understand. You're there to help everyone back in Fuyuki right?"

"That's right I am."

"Kotori sends me messages on my phone every day. She tells me funny things Tohka did, or something interesting that's going on there. Mostly she just wants to know if I'm well."

"I'm happy to hear that. She is sort of your cousin now, so it's good to keep in contact with your family. Speaking of which, I have to go now, but could you tell Shiki that Shirou might need to send Kotori to stay with you there? Things in Fuyuki aren't well right now and she might need to go there to be safe. You'll look after her like she looked after you right?"

"Of course! She was so kind to me I couldn't not return her kindness if I have a chance!"

"That's my girl. It's probably close to dinner time there so you should get going. You know how your Aunt is about being punctual for dinner. She relented on a lot of things, but not that one."

"I know. Take care Ciel."

"I love you Yoshino, and Yoshinon. To care of each other."

"We love you too Ciel!" yelled the puppet.

"Len is laying under this table I'm sitting at right now to hide from the sun, but I'm sure she'd want me to tell you she loves and misses you both."

Yoshino smiled a little at that, "We love her too. Please come back safe…"

* * *

Yoshino walked out of her room and wandered through the large Tohno mansion towards the dining room. When she arrived she quickly noticed she was the last to arrive, but when she checked the time she felt relief that she wasn't officially late. Slowly, she made her way to her designated seat at the table.

"Good evening everyone," she said softly.

"Good evening everyone!" said Yoshinon loudly.

"Good evening," replied the dark haired woman seated at the head of the table.

Yoshino took her seat which was to the left of Akiha Tohno and looked down the table at Shiki who was seated at the opposite end from Akiha where he smiled pleasantly at her. Seated across from her to the was Arcueid who also smiled cheerfully at the little girl.

"Ciel called me a moment ago…" she started speaking softly. "She said to tell you that Kotori might have to come stay with us because it might not be safe for her in Fuyuki," she explained with some sadness.

Shiki balled a fist while the women at the table looked at each other and nodded.

"She's welcome here of course. We'll make preparations for her just incase she needs them," said Akiha in a calm and composed tone of voice.

"What is that idiot doing there? I should get on a train right now and go give him a piece of my mind! I knew I should have gone there myself the moment Ciel said there was trouble!" Shiki exclaimed in irritation.

Arcueid shook a finger at Shiki, "Now now. She wanted you to stay incase there was trouble here. And she was right. There was trouble here. There could still be trouble here. This isn't a good time to weaken this house by having you leave to go pick a fight with Shirou Emiya."

"As the head of this family. I have to agree. Having all of us here at once is what's keeping those DEM lackies from trying anything foolish. This might sound improper of me to say, but I'm glad that in a time of trouble, Shirou thinks of us as the safest place for his daughter. I won't let anything tarnish that reputation. If we can't protect our own, how could we live with ourselves?"

Shiki took a breath to calm himself down, "Things in the world are getting bad again. I can't just sit here and do nothing about it… It's so frustrating. But you're right. This family has to be my first priority. If my niece needs a safe place to stay, I'll be here to make sure it's safe for her."

Akiha couldn't help the smile that crept across her face, "You've come a long way Shiki. I'm proud of you. Shirou Emiya is a brother to this house and we should act like it."

"He's no brother of mine… I'm doing this for Yoshino and Kotori."

Arcueid and Akiha couldn't help snickering.

"What is it?" asked Shiki.

Arcueid spoke up first, "Whenever the topic of Shirou Emiya comes up, you're a completely different person. I find it rather entertaining. I so dearly wish I could have been with you on some of your adventures."

Shiki sighed and looked down at his plate, "Believe me. There were times I wish you were with us. But even now looking back on it, I'm glad you weren't."

"Even after what we went through you feel like I need protecting?"

"That's not what I meant. Ciel and I only got through it all because we knew you were here, helping to make sure we'd always have a safe home to return to. Now we have Yoshino here. And knowing that you're here with her is what I'll always be thinking about the next time I go off on some fool's errand with that self-righteous hypocritical-"

Akiha and Arcueid laughed hysterically at the man down the table from them, and even Yoshinon couldn't help but catch their infectious laughter.

"I'll just stop talking. Can we eat now?" asked Shiki with annoyance.

* * *

After dinner that night Yoshino sat down on the couch next to her new Aunt for evening tea.

"It's nice to finally have someone to talk with during this time. My brother only sits with me here under duress, and Arcueid always uses this time for… Whatever she does when she's on her own time," Akiha explained while pouring out a cup of tea for her niece.

Yoshino watched the steam rise from the cup for a long moment before mustering up a response, "I like having tea at night. It's very soothing. At the Emiya house, there was always tea whenever you wanted it. But every night he would bring a tea set on this ledge he has where you can see the sky and the garden and he'd have tea there and sit down to talk with Tohka. I liked sitting with them like that. They always talked about interesting things and I wanted to listen and learn."

Akiha smiled while enjoying the aroma of her tea. "Whenever Shirou and Rin came to visit with us, he would always sit here with me and have tea as well. He told me about that little ritual of his and it honestly amazed me how we could so easily bond over something as simple as nightly tea. Sometimes Ciel does a tea ceremony here and I've grown to quite enjoy that as well."

"I like sitting here with you too Aunt Akiha. You also know a lot of interesting things I want to learn."

"Hmm… Alright. Then that's what we'll do together at this time from now on. I can start by teaching you about our family history. Yes. It's very important that you know about your family. You may be adopted into the Tohno lineage, but so was Shiki. I suppose, being a Tohno doesn't exactly mean what it did before considering how we are now, but that isn't a bad thing. I'm sure if we asked my grandfather what being a Tohno meant to him, it would be very different from what it meant to my father. Or what it means to Shiki, even myself. Or what it will eventually mean to you."

"Being a Tohno means I have a place I belong. I never had that before. It means that if I'm ever sad, I have people who will comfort me. If I'm hurt, I have people who will heal me. If I'm afraid, I have people who will protect me. It means I have a family who love me, and that I can love back."

Akiha smiled, "I have no idea what my grandfather would have said, but if he doesn't like what you just said now, then he can burn in hell," she said with a bright smile. "That's what I'd like it to mean to be a Tohno. But… The story of this family isn't always a nice one. It's one that's been steeped in blood..."

* * *

Yoshino wandered towards her room with wide eyes swirling in confusion and abject terror.

"Yoshino... The next time Aunt Akiha wants to tell you a story about her ancestors… **Pleeeeease change the subject!** " demanded the puppet on her hand.

Yoshino could only nod at that statement.

When she entered the room it was to find one of the two maids diligently placing freshly cleaned clothes in her cabinet. When she saw the girl enter she turned to face her with a polite bow. "Good evening Mistress Yoshino. Are you alright? You seem unwell. May I get you anything?" she asked with no small amount of concern.

Yoshino shook her head to clear her mind, and then shook her head in the negative. "I'm fine. Thank you. I'm just not used to this. Nobody ever did things like this for me before. At the Emiya house everyone had to 'pitch in' to maintain the house, and do the 'laundry' and, well, everything."

"I understand. Mistress Ciel still insists on doing her own chores. But she agreed that, as you are unaccustomed to this world, in every sense of the word, that we be at your service to help you with whatever you may need."

"It's overwhelming. Before I only had people who wanted to hurt me. Now I only have people who want to help me…"

"The world is quite two faced like that Mistress Yoshino. Nothing is ever quite as it seems. But be assured that we will all be here to help you navigate your way into life here. And if I may say so, your have improved a great deal since your arrival in this house. Your vocabulary has expanded as much as the number of words you put into a sentence."

Yoshino considered that for a moment, "I've been reading more. Learning more. It helps I think."

"You're also less shy and more willing to engage in conversation. It is most gratifying to see. I hope you will continue to progress and become a proud bearer of your family name."

Yoshino went to sit down on her bed with her eyes swirling in chaos again. "This family is a little bit scary…"

"What part of Aunt Akiha's story was a 'little' scary?!" asked Yoshinon.

The maid closed the cabinet she was working on and moved to seat herself beside the blue haired spirit. "Lady Akiha told you about the history I take it?"

Yoshino nodded.

"I see. That explains the look on your face when you came in. Trust me when I say the Tohno family has its dark secrets but those days are behind them now. Instead of dwelling on what the previous generations have been like, try asking yourself what you would like to contribute to that legacy?"

"What I'll contribute?"

The maid nodded, "Yes indeed. You bear their name now. So one day, when your descendants tell the story of the Tohno family, what would you like them to say about Yoshino Tohno? Once you figure that out. You only need to be that person that you want to be remembered as."

Yoshino blinked.

"Perhaps it's a bit too soon for you to be thinking about this too deeply. But it's worth keeping in mind. If the story bothers you, try thinking about what you can do to give that story a happier turn to brighten it for those future Tohno children so they won't feel the way you felt when you heard the story."

Yoshino nodded, "I will. Thank you Nanaya. I appreciate it."

* * *

 _ **Rome, Italy**_

Ciel sat on the window ledge of Luvia's hotel room overlooking the Spanish steps. She didn't care for the opulence of the suite but it offered the perfect vantage point to plan an ambush.

"So you really adopted a little girl?" asked Luvia with a big bright and overly cheerful smile.

"Her name is Yoshino."

"That's so sweet! Do you have a picture of her?"

Ciel took out her phone and swiped through it until she found a picture of her and the little girl to show her former friend and current only ally. Then handed the phone to the blonde woman.

"Dawww… She's so cute! The way she looks people would probably easily think she's your real daughter!"

"She _**is**_ my real daughter," said Ciel through clenched teeth.

Luvia sighed, "That's not what I meant to imply and you know it!"

"Say what you mean then."

"I would like for you not to put words into my mouth. Not everything I say should be taken in the worst possible way."

"Then you should phrase your statements a bit more carefully."

"Damn it all Ciel. I haven't asked you to forgive me and I won't. But could you, at the very least, be civil with me?"

"I'm treating you the same way I treat everyone else who isn't my close friend or family. Before today you were at a level where I'd only use my Black Keys to communicate with you. So if you want to feel good about something. Feel good about that."

"What will it take for me to earn back your friendship then? Please at least just tell me that much!"

Ciel contemplated that for a moment, "Let's get this job done. Then we can revisit that."

"Then at least tell me where I stand with you now? Because I hate walking on eggshells."

"I'm not trying to kill you. Yet. But the more you whine about it, the more I'm tempted. That's where you stand right now."

"Fine then. Be that way. Have you figured out a strategy yet?"

"Yes. We're going to take them there at the steps. They won't open the case to confirm the contents. They'll make their exchange and go their separate ways. The moment their packages change hands, that's when we make our move."

"Are you completely mad?!"

"They'll all have bodyguards. Three wizards, and three executors. But they'll have people in the crowds too. This is the height of tourist season. Officially they'll only be allowed three escorts each. Unofficially, they'll both have at least a dozen more blending in with the common masses. They'll all see each other. They'll all know each other. They'll all be watching each other closely for any sign of treachery…"

"I think I'm following you. This plan is so mad it'll work because they'll be expecting the other side to do something rash. When we rush in and snatch the packets from them as they're making the exchange, everyone will be confused. They'll all look at each other accusingly. If they don't start fighting each other there, it'll be a precious few moments before they realize we're not with either group and come after us."

"Exactly. We'll blend in with the tourists and-"

"Why do I feel like we've done something like this before?"

"Because we have. This was Shiki's plan back in Mexico when we robbed the cartel."

"Ahh yes… The only problem is that we'll have to do this on foot. There aren't any cars allowed in this part of the city. So we need to devise an escape route, and we'll need to find you an appropriate disguise."

"That won't be a problem. I came prepared for anything."

* * *

 _Alright… This could be a problem… I wasn't prepared for this at all..._

It was night time, the steps were crowded with tourists and locals. Ciel stood near the fountain among a group of people listening to a street musician and singing along with the crowd. She was dressed casually in some jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie with an old back back.

"Lasciatemi cantare! Con la chitarra in mano!" she sang loudly with the other Italians with bright happy face while her eyes watched the base of the steps.

 _Never mind that I'm about to pick a fight with over twenty Executors and DEM Wizards. I'm used to dealing with worse. But if these people found out I was actually French and singing along to this song I'd probably be in seriously deeper shit than that Warsaw incident..._

"Lasciatemi cantare! Una canzone piano piano!"

She had spotted the members of the Burial Agency, three men and one woman waiting with the case in hand. The complication came from the DEM members, it wasn't an artifact they were turning over. It was a young woman with short, ash gray hair and icy blue eyes.

 _I'm in love with her outfit though. She looks like one of the nuns from a really good porno… Focus Ciel think dirty things you'd want to do to Shiki with a costume like that later!_

"Lasciatemi cantare! Perché ne sono fiero!

 _Alright. Change of plans. I just hope Luvia hasn't forgotten how to improvise._

"Sono un italiano, un italiano vero!"

While everyone was busy applauding the street performer Ciel reached into the pocket of her hoodie and dropped a smoke bomb that went off with a loud bang. As intended, it was instant pandemonium. American tourists started screaming about a terrorist attack. Locals cursing the stupid tourists for not getting that it was probably just a prank. Police running around to try and calm everyone down…

Len walking by the lead executor and snatching his case. The DEM representatives slowly walking away, rightly assuming the deal would be off at this point. Luvia on queue rushing in to grab the grey haired girl and pulled her along. Ciel then conjured a black key to slit the throat of one of the DEM Wizards in the crowd. Then… It started. Pandemonium gave way to complete and utter chaos as one DEM Wizard drew a gun to shoot an Executor, the Executor blocking the shots with his Black Keys.

Ciel casually ran away among a crowd of tourists to blend in as all hell broke loose behind her. Her heart racing in her throat over all the ways that could have gone horribly wrong for her.

 _Shirou… This was your brand of stupid._

* * *

The sounds of gunfire echoed through the city blocks as they briskly walked away among the crowd of tourists all trying to escape the scene of the 'terrorist attack'. The sound was soon drowned out by the blaring of police sirens before they ducked out onto a side street to get out of the crowd. They then ducked into another deserted side street to back track and ensure they weren't being tailed.

"Alright. So. May I ask who you are and why I can sense more mana in you than I've ever sensed in anything before in my life?"

Ciel stopped in her tracks with her eyes widened.

 _This is why I'm no magus… How did I miss that?_

"You're a Spirit!" Ciel blurted out to the girl.

The girl nodded, "And you must be Ciel and Luvia. Oh and of course Len!" she said happily while kneeling down to pet the little girl on the head. "You're even cuter in real life!"

Ciel and Luvia stared dumbfounded into each other's eyes and then looked back at the younger girl petting Len who didn't seem to at all mind the attention she was getting.

"Oh right… I should probably get out of this now or else they'll just find me again won't they?" she said before standing up and closing her eyes, with a hand held up in the air she became enveloped in white light which made everyone shield their eyes from the brightness before being able to look at her again in a set of cloths similar to Ciel's.

"Sorry, hope you don't mind that I copied you but I love your wardrobe. So sexy! Yes. Both of your wardrobes!"

Ciel blushed, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"You probably have a lot of questions right now. But they will be looking for us soon. So we should get going."

"So I gather you don't have a problem with us kidnapping you?"

"Why would I have a problem with that? I'm the one who made you want to rescue me! Ciel of all people knows why the Church is the last place someone like me would ever want to be stuck in."

"She's right about that too..." muttered Ciel. "Let's get moving again. I have a feeling the headache I'm getting is only going to get bigger."

"Oh. Len. Sorry dear, but. Mind if I hold onto that for you? Sorry… He's an old friend of Rasiel's. Long story, tell you later," she said with a wink while taking the black case from Len who didn't seem to mind relinquishing it.

"Alright… Since you know us. Mind giving us your name? Assuming you have one?" asked Ciel.

"Nia Honjou. Very nice to finally meet you all. Now let's run for it!" she energetically exclaimed.

* * *

Ciel flipped through the pages of a book with a critical eye. "You got my cloths wrong… Shirou has the sleeves, I have the scarf."

"Oh drat… I was sure he had a scarf as well for some reason…"

"Mind if I ask why you're drawing all of us in this… Whatever style it is?" inquired Luvia. "Also my breasts are spectacular but you really exaggerated them…"

"Artistic license! And it's Manga! I love manga. You can make anyone look amazing as a 2D manga character!"

Len put her finger on a page to stop Ciel from flipping it while she looked at herself. "Kawaii," she said softly.

"Yes! Totally! You're my favorite one to draw! So adorable!"

Ciel flipped the page to find the next was blank and then closed the book. "So. Let me get this straight. You drew these mangas in this book… And then waited patiently while everything you drew actually happened?"

"It doesn't always happen exactly as I draw it. Things can go wrong, some people can resist Rasiel's power, or I can make mistakes… But I took my time. Did my research. Learned about your characters. Figured out how you'd probably plan it. Took your individual skill sets into account… And presto. I drew the manga and then let it happen! I had so much fun with this!"

"You even drew the talk I had about what Luvia tried to do with Shirou… Now I'm wondering if that was from me or from this angel of your's…"

"Probably both. I figured the reader might want some backstory on the two of you. Exposition and all that."

Ciel gently handed the book back to the spirit, "I'm honestly more than a little afraid of this book right now… And who are you going to let read this besides us?"

"Nobody… Except maybe the internet?" she said with a shrug that drew irate glares from Ciel and Luvia. "Or not? Don't worry. I just showed you so I wouldn't have to spend days explaining it all. Show rather than tell. That's the best thing about Manga!"

"So why us? You probably could have brought even stronger people here with this power?"

Nia shook her head, "Doesn't work that way. You were both already planning to do what you did. I just found out about it with Rasiel and did my best to help you make it work. Rasiel's power is knowledge, and he has a limited ability to affect the future. It just depend son how I make use of it. Nothing is absolute, even with this. That's why I don't let it go to my head you see. If it was, I wouldn't have been in the predicament I was in in the first place. Rasiel can warn me of danger, but all I get are the facts. I have to decide what to do with those facts. Sometimes I make good choices… Sometimes I make bad ones…

It's all been made even more difficult now because DEM took part of my crystal away. So now Rasiel's power is weaker. Sometimes the information I get from him is… Just… Nostradamus levels of confusing. But. The good news is, if I focus hard enough on a particular topic, I can get all the facts about that topic. It's like Google on crack."

"Why did they extract part of your crystal? How did they even do that?"

"Really rather not talk about the how if you don't mind…" she said grimly which instantly tensed up the atmosphere. "The reason is because they wanted to be able to use my ability. I wasn't exactly cooperative with them in volunteering my services. The only good news is that, now that I'm not being taken to the Church, I can actually block their ability to use this power. That's why I need your help. All of your help. I need you to help me stay away from them so I can keep blocking them. In exchange, I'll offer you my help to fight back against them."

"You don't have to offer us anything in exchange for helping you Nia. If you need our help, you'll have it. No strings attached."

Nia nodded, "I know… Shirou and Shiki's 'stupid' affecting you. But you can't turn down the kind of help I can offer you. Right now Shirou is feeling a little lost without someone who can advise him…" she said while flipping to a page she drew on the subject. "I can be that person for him. For all of you. It's really all I can do. I can't fight. My powers don't work that way. But this I can do."

"So your power can actually let you see the future?" asked Luvia. "Would you mind if I asked you for a few lottery numbers and stock quotes?"

Nia laughed and shook her head, "I know Jewel Magic is expensive and that you have expensive taste. But like I tried to explain, my power doesn't work that way exactly. It's a little complicated. I can use facts that I gather to 'describe' a possible future, and if I do that well enough with all the correct elements included, I can significantly increase the probability of that future coming to be. But it isn't absolute. Even less so now that I only have half my power. This doesn't override anyone's free will though. It worked in this instance because-"

"Because I got infected with the 'stupid' yes. I got that," Ciel said with a nod.

"So you gambled with us? Is that what you're saying?" asked Luvia.

Nia looked down shamefully at her book, "That's exactly what I did. I apologize for that. I'm really very sorry I did what I did and played with your lives like that… But… It was my only hope of escape..."

"I suppose I can forgive you for that. But I don't know if I can forgive you for writing a compliment to yourself about your astral dress into my thoughts like that…" muttered Ciel.

"Oh please. We both know you have a couple very similar outfits and it's exactly what you would have thought even without me writing it in!"

"Be that as it may… I feel dirty right now. So I'm going to take a shower… Tomorrow we're driving to France. So we'll have to find you a fake passport… That's not going to be easy… Or cheap."

Nia reached over to the desk to pick up a pen, "I'll start arranging that. That's actually simple for me."

Ciel and Luvia raised an eyebrow each.

"What? I just made the three of you rescue me. That was hard. Do you really think finding a guy who makes good passports for a reasonable price here in Rome will be difficult?"

"You can do that but you can't find me a lucky lotto number?!"

"Finding the right person to go see so we can hire them for a job is not the same as influencing the result of a lottery. Too many variables. Do you honestly think I haven't tried that for myself?" she said with a wink at Luvia.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** This chapter ended up being a lot more filler than I'd originally planned. It also ended up being a lot longer than I'd originally planned so I split it into two chapters.

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

After school that day, Kurumi invited Kotori over to her apartment to show her more about her spirit powers. Kotori had to admit, she was curious to see how an elegant, mysterious, and downright frightening Spirit like Kurumi lived. But once she was inside she found it was nothing like what she imagined. Not. One. Bit.

Her eyes widened, and she had to cover her nose. Her eyes watered and she rushed over to a window to quickly get it open.

"Kurumi… This is your place? You? A Girl? Live here? Like… This?!"

"So what? I know it's a bit small but it's cozy," she remarked while locking up the door behind her.

It was a small studio apartment, the door opened into a small kitchen area with a bathroom directly opposite. The kitchen counter was piled with dirty dishes, take out boxes, instant ramen, and all manner of junk food that no sane human being or spirit should be ingesting much less subsisting upon.

She looked around the living room area, it had a small coffee table in front of a bed that seemed to double as a couch for viewing the TV set across from it. There were windows, previously closed to the outside by thick curtains to keep the light away from the TV for optimal viewing. The coffee table was also covered in empty bags of chips, pizza boxes, and dirty cups. Kotori also noticed a gaming console under the TV, as well as a portable one on the bed.

 _Turns out Kurumi is exactly who I thought Tonomachi was… Who would have thought? No wonder she never jumps on the bandwagon when I make fun of him for it._

Kotori sighed to herself and fished for her phone. "I'm telling my father that I'm staying over with you tonight."

Kurumi raised an eyebrow at that. "Why? I thought we were just going to discuss spirit powers?"

"That was before I saw how you live… This place isn't even fit for cockroach habitation much less human… Or spirit!"

"Ara ara! What's the big deal?"

"Kurumi… There's a dead cockroach in your leftover pizza! When I said this place isn't fit for cockroach habitation, I was being literal! Come on. I'm going to assume you don't have any cleaning supplies so we're going out to to shop for them right this moment!"

"Ara ara… Why did I bring her here?" sighed Kurumi while following the younger girl out of the apartment again.

Two hours of blood, sweat, vomit, and tears later Kotori washed her hands, then used a liberal amount of hand sanitizer up her elbows, before washing her hands again in almost scalding hot water. Then she stood and watched to make sure Kurumi washed herself properly before she allowed her out of the bathroom and into the freshly cleaned apartment.

The girls each collapsed onto the couch bed to catch their breaths and rest.

"Hercules himself would be proud of us for accomplishing this task…" muttered Kotori.

"It was such a waste of time though…" muttered Kurumi.

Kotori scrunched up her face as the words Kurumi uttered felt sour inside her ears. "Someone whose whole power is based on time manipulation shouldn't be worried about two hours!" she barked. "Besides. We got to spend it together. So was it really such a waste?"

"When you put it that way. No. But if you knew what two hours was really worth you'd probably feel the same way I do. But when you put it that way… I suppose I'd pay any price to be able to spend time with you. Even if it was on something as trivial as this."

"That's sweet. Creepy. But sweet. So are you hungry? I can fry us up those schnitzels we got?"

"You? Cook?" asked Kurumi with a few blinks of her crimson eye.

"Yes. The name is Kotori _**Emiya!**_ Of course I can cook. Not like my father, but I can fry something!"

"This… I want to see," she remarked with a small grin while standing up to follow the younger girl into the kitchen.

"Then you should take off that eye patch. You don't have to hide your other eye from me you know," said Kotori with a finger waving in the air.

"It doesn't make a difference. I can't see out of it anyway."

"Oh… I didn't realize that… Was that a price of your spirit power or something? No wait. Don't answer that. It's none of my damn business anyway..." she said while knocking her own head.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing quite so dramatic. I had retinal cancer as a child and they had to take out my eye."

"Ack. That sucks! But it's also interesting. Not about your eye, that just sucks. But I mean, you remember your life before you were a spirit? Tohka is utterly clueless about anything, and I only remember my life from when I became a spirit and nothing before that. Not even how I became one."

Kotori went and got a frying pan out and started heating the stove while pouring some oil into the pan. Kurumi reached out and stopped her there. "Too much. If you do it this way they'll just come out greasy and taste of oil rather than anything else. You should also reduce the heat."

"But the oil will heat up and cook the chicken quicker? I know what I'm doing you know!"

Kurumi pat the girl on the head and shoved her aside. "Ara ara… You're going to set off the fire alarm as well as my bullshit alarm. If you cook them on high heat like this all you'll end up doing is burning the outside and leaving the inside completely uncooked."

"For someone who orders take out and eats nothing but junk food you seem to know a lot about cooking…"

"I've been around a few times and learned a little bit of this and that..."

Kotori sighed, "Now you just set off my bullshit alarm… You don't know what you're doing anymore than I do."

Kurumi turned to smile at Kotori. It was by all accounts a cheerful and very happy smile. Her eye closed, but she looked happy as could be nonetheless. Except for that twitching eyebrow...

When she spoke, it was in her same, completely normal, sultry and classy tone of voice, "You have a smartphone. Why don't you close Date A Live and search for cooking instructions? Then, you can eat your words instead of your schnitzel."

Kotori suddenly became paralyzed with fear, and for some inexplicable reason, she could do nothing but what she was being told to do. "My mom used to smile like that…" she said through clenched teeth.

"Probably right before she was about to completely lose her shit as well. Am I right?"

 _That was just uncanny..._

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Emiya house. Shirou was instructing Tohka as they worked together to prepare ingredients for dinner.

"So what are we cooking? It smells amazing!" she asked after everything was set on the stove.

"This is called spaghetti," he explained while putting the pasta into the boiling pot, "When Ciel said she was in Rome I suddenly felt the urge to cook Italian food. Since it's just the two of us for dinner tonight I thought you might like to try it since Kotori doesn't really like this kind of thing."

"And what did we make in there again?" she asked looking at the smaller one with the closed lid.

"It's called Bolognese. It's a sauce you mix with the pasta. Believe me, you're going to like it."

"I love everything you cook!"

"Somehow. I doubt that Tohka. You can't possibly like every single thing you've ever eaten. You have to have some dislikes. It's perfectly alright to have some things you like more than others."

Tohka backed away to give him some space in the kitchen while contemplating his words, "Hmm… I never really thought about it. But I suppose eating out isn't as tasty as eating here."

"That's a start I guess… But think about it harder. Of all the foods you've tried so far, which did you like more than all of the others?"

"That's easy! Kinako Bread!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hmm… Then next time we go shopping, we can buy ingredients and I'll teach you how to make it."

"Really?!" she asked happily.

"Yes really. It's not that difficult to make," he said while stirring his sauce. "You've already mastered Miso Soup, and you've shown me you're reliable with the cutting board. Baking isn't really difficult and you're a quick learner. Before long I'll be able to let you cook us dinner all by yourself."

"Only because you're such a good teacher Shirou!" she said which brought a cheerful smile to his face.

 _That takes me back… Tohka really is as sweet as Sakura, as brave and strong as Saber, and as hot tempered as Rin. I suppose that's why I find it so easy to get along with her. As long I don't push her buttons, having her around is… Surprisingly nice._

"Hey Shirou…" Tohka said in her serious voice which meant to Shirou that it was time to give her his undivided attention.

"What is it Tohka?"

"Do you think I can learn Magecraft? Like Kotori does? She's a Spirit, and I'm a Spirit. Shouldn't I be able to as well?"

"Hmm… You know, I never thought about it that way. You do have a point. I really don't see why you couldn't practice Thaumaturgy. Tell you what. Tonight instead of sword practice we'll take some time to start figuring out your magical aptitudes, and then figure out what and how we can teach you."

"Can't we do both? You and I have been getting a lot stronger since we started to train together. I don't think skipping practice is a good idea."

Shirou nodded, "Why do I get the feeling you're just trying to make me spend more time with you?"

"Why would I do that?"

Shirou chuckled at that, "Sometimes when my wife thought I wasn't spending enough time with her she'd start coming to me with things we needed to do together. Took me a while to catch onto that fact though."

"But all we ever do is spend time together? Why would I be trying to make you spend more time with me?"

"I wasn't really accusing you of it Tohka. I was just sharing a memory with you that's all," he said with a smile. "But you know. I don't think I've really shown you much appreciation, even though we spend a lot of time together."

"What do you mean?"

Shirou took a breath and leaned back against the kitchen counter to gather his thoughts for a long moment. "Since you've been here. You've thanked me, almost every day, for being allowed to stay here. You've done everything we've asked of you and more…"

"But you have thanked me for doing those things?"

"That's not what I mean Tohka. Just.. Let me finish saying what I'm thinking."

Tohka nodded and leaned back against the refrigerator to listen.

"I've been lonely. Yes I have Kotori, I have Taiga, and I love them both very much. They bring stability to my life, and stability is important. Maybe it's silly of me to feel this way, but I was having a hard time. I miss my wife, and I know she'd want me to move on. So now I'm dating Ryouko. And I like her a lot. She's fun. And I have fun with her. But ever since you've been here, things in my life have gotten crazy. In every which way. I forgot how much I thrive in chaos. I don't know if this makes sense to you because it doesn't make sense to me at all. But I'm thankful for you because you bring something into my life that I didn't even know I was missing, and I love you for it,

That's what I'm trying to say I guess. You shouldn't be grateful to me for letting you be here. I should be grateful to _you_ for being here. And I am. I'm very grateful to have you in my life. You make everything interesting and new again. Especially since I've been teaching you everything I know, I haven't been thinking about things that make me feel sad anymore. I've just been focused on what's good in my life. That's all because of you. You bring out the best in me."

Tohka smiled brightly and wiped a tear from her eye before rushing over to hug Shirou tightly. "I don't know what to say to that…"

"You don't have to say anything Tohka. I'm the one who needs to do more of the talking. No matter how annoyed, angry, or frustrated I may get in the future. I just want you to know how much I've come to care about you and how much I appreciate having you around. I never got to say that to Saber before she was gone and it's something I regretted ever since. So I just want you to know that and never doubt it."

"I understand. I feel the same way Shirou. I can sleep at night because I don't doubt for a moment that if I woke up in some strange place about to be attacked again that you'd stop at nothing to come find me."

"I would. No matter how far I have to go, or what I have to fight through to get there. I'll find you."

Tohka slowly let go of Shirou and looked up into his golden eyes for a long moment before smiling at him. "I'm so thankful for this wonderful life. I'll do anything I have to do to protect it."

"I don't doubt it. Not for a- Uh oh!" he rushed over to take his sauce off the stove before it overcooked. "Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you set the table for us?"

"Sure thing!"

"Remember, Forks and spoons for this, not chopsticks," he reminded her.

"You told me! I'm not a dummy! Dummy!"

Shirou laughed as he took the pasta off the stove and started draining the water.

* * *

Kotori washed off the dishes after their meal and put them away before cleaning up the rest of the kitchen again.

 _I may have failed to cook, but I won't fail to set her a good example about being clean! Seriously… How can someone as unbelievably skilled at everything she does be such an unbelievable slob?!_

Kotori looked over into the living room to see Kurumi playing with her handheld gaming console. "There's my answer…" she muttered under her breath. "Hey Kurumi. Weren't you supposed to teach me about my spirit powers? You know. Without throwing me off a bridge this time?"

Kurumi set down her console and turned to look at Kotori where she gave her a nod. "Let's get started then."

Kotori walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch bed beside the raven haired spirit. Kurumi put out her hand and gathered an orb of darkness there. It wasn't like Tohka's at all, her's was purple and glowing, and felt of powerful kinetic energy. Kurumi's was like a black hole which just sucked the light away from everything around it. It was pure darkness.

"Your power is a lot different from mine… Will the same things apply?"

"I've been around a few times-"

"And learned a bit of this and that. I remember."

"Good. So pay attention then because this is important. You need to understand the relationship you have with your Angel. It grants you power, but all power comes at a price. Equivalent Exchange. You're familiar with this concept?"

Kotori nodded, "Yes. I am."

"This isn't actually my spirit power I'm using. This is my magecraft. But because I can tap into the mana supply of my Angel, I can do even more more with what I already had. But doing this comes at a cost…" she then pulled off her eye patch with her other hand and lifted her hair. "Can you see the clock moving?"

"The second hand is ticking?"

"Correct. The more mana I take from Zafkiel, the more of my own time I have to give up in exchange."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that… But before I jump to a conclusion what-"

"It means exactly what you think it means. This clock is the representation of my life. It's a proportional amount of my very life that I'm giving away in exchange for this power. I said before that I can't see out of this eye. That wasn't entirely true. I can see the flow of time. But only as it relates to myself. This is how I know how much time I have, how much I'm using, and how much I'm collecting."

"Collecting?"

"It's complicated, and honestly irrelevant to you. The price your power will take won't be the same as mine. But you'll have a perception of it in some way. We all do. But there are ways you can work around this. Some of your mysteries can be enacted the same way any other magus would. Others, you'll have to call on your angel to enact."

"I'm not sure I understand, so correct me if I'm wrong. But it sounds like you're trying to tell me my Angel functions similar to a magic crest?"

"That's actually exactly what it's like. But I have both a magic crest, and my angel. See… These are the kinds of workarounds I'm talking about. Because of the cost of drawing on Zafkiel, the original me set about developing her magecraft to supplement to her spirit powers."

"So you're actually like a real and proper magus? You have a magic crest and a lineage and everything?"

Kurumi shook her head, "No. I don't. The original me. She made our crest herself. No small feat, I can assure you. You see. I was the heir to a magus line. But the crest was destroyed so I didn't get to inherit it."

"When you said DEM took something from you. Is that what you were talking about?"

Kurumi nodded, "Yes. Please don't ask about it because I don't want to talk about it… It's painful. Anyway. My point is that when I got my powers I was a complete and utter novice with them. I didn't get the benefits that the others all got. So naturally I screwed up. A lot. So trust me and listen to me to avoid the mistakes I made."

"Hang on… Hang on… She made her own magic crest? How the hell? It takes generations to build a magic crest."

"Indeed it does. But why does it take generations?"

"Well… I'm not sure how well I can explain it but... A Magic Crest is formed from the circuits of the mage. Their own circuits. Which stores thaumaturgical capabilities to be passed down. Each generation adds something to it. So the more generations, the more powerful the crest. Right?"

"Correct enough," Kurumi then pulled down the back of her dark dress and activated her crest for Kotori to see. It was an intricately shaped series of circles in a pattern reminiscent of the gears in a clock.

"Now how is a magic crest implanted?"

"Not all at once. It's done over a period of time. Wait. I think I understand now. The copies? Or clones? Whatever you're called."

"Now you get it. When you can cheat by making endless copies of yourself. Suddenly the impossible becomes very possible if you're willing to carefully plan and endure the process. You'd also have to enlist the aid of someone who's extraordinarily skilled in the art of implanting magic crests."

Kotori dropped her jaw, "That's brilliant. Reckless. Painful. Stupid. But brilliant… No incompatibility because you'd be forming it entirely of your own circuits. It's brilliant… But the way this is set up… I can't imagine how much this-"

"Remember I told you that if you knew what she had to go through to become as strong as she is now that you'd probably be sick? Well. That's just a small sample of what I'm talking about."

"That's got to be unpleasant at best… Certainly helps to actually explain why you're so screwed up in the head…"

"That's not very nice…" said a grinning Kurumi before standing up, "As punishment for that, if you want to learn more you have to defeat me now!"

Kotori blinked, "Defeat you?! You want to duel me?!" she asked very nervously.

"Yes," stated Kurumi while tossing a game controller at Kotori. "I assume you know how to play this game?" she said after turning on the TV.

Kotori grinned, "Heh, you're on!"

* * *

The sounds of clashing metal echoed through the courtyard of the Emiya house as Tohka took swing after swing at Shirou. Even with his holy shroud he was on his fifth set of swords. It was no fault of the holy shroud though, it was doing its job exactly as intended, protecting him from the spiritual interference caused by contact with the Angel. It was simply a testament to the resilience of Tohka's Sandalphon.

Over the course of their sparring sessions Tohka had learned not to take a broken weapon to mean the fight was over. He was perfectly capable of replacing his weapons during a fight and continuing as if nothing had happened. Their exchanges went on for minutes at a time before one or the other would eventually find a way to get the upper hand and place the other on the defensive.

It was a way they built trust between each other. Trust in each other's skills. Confidence to take each other seriously and not slack off for even a moment lest one make the other pay for it with a very painful strike to a sensitive area. Shirou called it the Arturia Pendragon School of Swordsmanship. Fear of death wasn't necessary between friends sparing, though it was certainly not an impossibility when fighting with real swords. It was the fear of pain which motivated the participants to stay on guard and fight at their best in each moment.

Tohka was very tough. Her armor wasn't just for show either. It would take a very serious blow to cause her any meaningful harm. And as Tohka accidentally discovered over the course of their training, Shirou's ability to heal himself was more than up to the task of restoring any damage she could inflict upon him.

The two only had one goal for these sessions. To get stronger, faster, and smarter about how they each fought. Tohka didn't actually have a sword style. All she had was a big sword and the strength to swing it. Dealing the mecha-mecha squads obviously wasn't a problem for her. Shirou knew first hand they were competent fighters, but they were no masters of the sword. Neither was Tohka though.

She had superhuman levels of strength and speed. But she left openings in her defenses everywhere. However, there was a catch to what she was doing that Shirou quickly picked up on.

She was doing the same thing he does, giving her opponent fake openings to strike at. It was an utterly reckless style of fighting that he knew all too well.

 _I can't help but wonder if this was where Archer really developed his fighting style. I feel like my body knows how to fight Tohka. But I don't honestly have a memory of her that doesn't feel like my own. It's something deeper, like, instinctual. Did he fight against her? Or did he train with her like this?_

* * *

Kotori growled and dropped her controller on the bed before laying back with two fist fulls of her hair. "Grrrrah! You're like a professional at this too! Is there anything you can't do Kurumi?!"

Kurumi scratched her chin, "I've never managed to actually learn to play an instrument. Wasn't for lack of trying though. I just don't have a musical bone in my body. But I can play Guitar Hero blindfolded! I had a friend who can sing like an angel and I was so jealous of that. But I have no aptitude for music whatsoever. It always pissed me off, I'm asian damn it! I should be able to play something so good that all of YouTube would be jealous of my skill!"

"I guess the only skill you have that'll blow people away is your skill with guns and bows."

"Ara ara! I suppose that's true."

"Hey, can I see your guns?" asked Kotori with curiosity while sitting up with a pleading look.

Kurumi grinned and then put her arm under the couch bed, the darkest place in reach, and pulled up her pistol which she then handed to Kotori.

"Ooof, it's heavier than it looks isn't it?" she said while feeling its weight. "These guns aren't part of your angel are they? I can feel it, it's an actual mystic code isn't it?"

"Mhmm. It's an antique. It was actually once used by a French Vieille Garde named Pierre Cambronne. When the British Army had him and what was left of his troops completely surrounded at the battle of Waterloo, ready and waiting to gun them all down. The Brits asked them to surrender. Well, Pierre didn't like that. Being the badass that he was he just looked at them, and told them where to shove it. The strong impressions left on them from that day made them ideal for being used as mystic codes."

"I'm really interested in mystic codes. Ciel says I have an aptitude for their construction. I hope I do because I really had fun making some with her. So may I ask why you use guns? Aren't there other ways to fling shadows around?"

"Plenty I'm sure. But this was just the most effective way she could devise with the time she had. I'm sure she could have figured out other ways of using Zafkiel's power but, these guns are special. She didn't want to part with them. Instead she trained herself night and day and got better with them. I'm sure the original owner of these guns would be very proud of what she's accomplished with them."

Kotori looked at the weapon closely, the metal was highly polished, the wood immaculate. The flint in the hammer was replaced with some kind of dark stone which Kotori didn't recognize. "Do you mind if I ask how they work?"

"Tell you what. If you learn this next thing I'm going to teach you, I'll tell you all about how it works. Deal?"

"Deal!"

"Now. Do you know what your origin is Kotori?"

"Yes. It's Retaliation, or Retribution. One of the two. Mom said it wouldn't ever be useful towards my magecraft, but it explained why I was so-"

"Unforgiving? Ill tempered?"

Kotori slowly nodded, "Something like that. I have to be extra mindful of it because I tend towards extremes."

"Angels take on forms connected to your origin. That's why I'm asking."

"So is that why yours, or hers, is a big clock?"

"Exactly. My origins are Determination and Relentlessness. To put it mildly, time is relentless. To draw out your angel, you have to follow your origin rather than your elemental affinity. In your case though, unlike me, you and your angel share an affinity."

"Fire?"

"Precisely. That's why it's difficult for you to differentiate between which is your power and which is your angel's. Tohka helped you draw the line. Now I need to help you learn how to cross it at will."

"Your Origins. You have two?" asked Kotori with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. It's why I get so good at whatever I do. When I decide to do something I'm just compelled to master it. When I start something, I can't leave it unfinished. I'm a perfectionist like that."

"So you and your angel have different elemental affinities? How does that work?"

"I can use my Angel's power as if it were my own. My affinity is Darkness or Shadow, whichever you prefer. My Angel's is Time. So I get a second affinity."

"Do you realize just how many questions I still have for you right now because of what you just said?"

"Learn what I'm trying to teach you. Then ask questions," she said with a flick to Kotori's forehead.

* * *

Shirou had Tohka sitting in the magic circle of the workshop where he had a hand on her bare back. His face scrunched up a bit at what he was sensing, "I'm no expert at this, but there's something about your magic circuits that I can't understand. Don't get me wrong, you have plenty of them and they're very high quality. Better than mine by a long shot. But it's just that there's something different about them. I'd chalk it up to you being a Spirit but Kotori's were pretty unremarkable except for the number of them which she has. Almost as many as her mother."

"So is this good or bad?" shed with some concern laden in her voice.

"It's interesting. Lord El-Melloi would probably be able to explain this to you, but I'm still on the fence about letting him in on your secret. He doesn't think like most mages, but he is still a mage..."

"So does that mean I can learn Magecraft?"

Shirou took his hand off Tohka. "You can put your shirt back on now. And yes. There's no reason you can't. I sense your elemental affinity is Void, Earth, and Earth. I don't know why that came up twice, but I sensed it twice. I'm going to chalk that up to your spirit power since Kotori's also came up as Fire and Fire," he said while opening one of the fire proof cabinets.

Tohka put on her t-shirt again while standing up to follow and see what Shirou was up to.

"Rin could have told you your origin, but that's a bit beyond my skill. I'm still just a third rate magus. For now I can find something here to help us start figuring out how to train you as a mage."

"Shirou. Why don't you want to trust that man? He came a long way to offer you his help. It feels wrong to be so suspicious of him when he hasn't done anything wrong to us. Unless he has and I just don't know about it?"

Shirou sighed while pulling out a book on elemental affinities and shutting the cabinet after. "It's complicated Tohka. But you can't ever trust a magus."

"You're a magus? Does that mean I shouldn't trust you?"

"I'm magus in name only, and I'd like to think I've earned your trust, or did you just give it to me?"

"Well… Both I guess?" answered a confused Tohka.

"Never give your trust to anyone Tohka. Let them earn it first. Especially a magus. A mage will do anything to further their craft. The whole reason Rin and I never wanted the mage's association to know about the spirits is because if they did know, they'd be hunting you too. If they got you, they'd dissect you to see how you work. They'd take out your magic circuits, and whatever else they think is valuable to study. I'll die before I let that happen to you."

Tohka looked revolted at the thought, "Do you really think he'd do something like that?"

"Until he proves otherwise, I'm going to assume he would. Yes. That's part of why I spend so much time teaching you Tohka. I might not always be here to protect you from the worst parts of the world we live in. If something ever happened to me, I want to be able to depend on you to take my place and protect everyone that needs protecting. That's why I'm making you my official apprentice," he said firmly and clearly.

"So now I'm your Servant and your Apprentice?" asked Tohka with her happy voice.

"Well… Yeah. You are. I see something in you Tohka, and something tells me we're going to do great things together. But first, I need to keep teaching you everything I know. From now on, this will also be _your_ workshop. You can use it for whatever you need to study or train at anytime you need. But you also have to protect it and your secrets from outsiders. As part of the Emiya family, you need to take responsibility for this as well."

"I'll do my best! Tell me everything!" she said enthusiastically.

* * *

Kotori stared at the flame in her hand with a giddy expression and started to gleefully cackle at it.

"Alright Kotori. That's enough now. Kotori?"

Kurumi groaned in irritation and smacked the younger girl upside the head.

"Hey?! What was that for?!"

"You spaced out there. But tell me. What were you feeling just then?"

Kotori blinked and let her flame diminish and vanish before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I felt powerful. Like I could defeat anything with this fire. I wanted to go pick a fight or- I wanted to destroy something..."

Kurumi nodded, "Let me ask you this now. What do you want to achieve with your power?"

Kotori took a deep breath, "Promise not to laugh?"

Kurumi nodded with a serious look in her eye.

"I want to be... Well. Like you, and like my father."

Kurumi blinked at her and tilted her head to the side. "What do I have in common with your father?"

"Well. You're a hero. At least to Yoshino. And to me. My father's the same way. He's a hero to so many people. I want to be like that. I want to help people like he does. He inspires everyone around him. That's what my mom used to say about him. She couldn't help but get caught up in his dream. It was the same with everyone he gathered around him. Ciel, and Shiki, and even Luvia. Though. Luvia was mostly looking to just proving she was a better magus than my mother. But in her own stupid way, she was also a hero. I want to be like all of you."

Kurumi shook her head, "I'm no hero Kotori. There's a difference between doing something heroic and being heroic. One person's hero is another's villain. Nobody believes they're doing bad. It's all subjective. People can justify anything if they believe strongly enough that they're doing it for the right cause. For example, do you believe DEM thinks of themselves as a comic book style evil corporation?"

"Of course not. I'm that naïve. But they are doing bad things to good people, and I can't just tolerate that."

Kurumi nodded, "It's all relative though. They believe the spirits are harmful to this world. You obviously don't believe that. So you've chosen a side and you're ready to fight for it. But do you believe Shido and Mana for example aren't like you in how they think? Just because they're on the opposite side from you, does that make them bad?"

Kotori shook her head, "No… It just makes them wrong."

"They would say the same thing about you. War doesn't determine who's right or wrong Kotori. Only who's left."

"Do Shido and Mana really hate the spirits as much as Origami did? It seemed to me like Shido's hate was for the Mage's Association more than the spirits."

"I'm more like Shido than I'm like you or your father Kotori. I understand him, and maybe that's why I like him so much. Shido only has one thing he cares about above all else, and it gives him absolute clarity when he needs to make a decision."

Kotori looked up at the very serious and longing expression on Kurumi's face. It was almost like she really was in love with him. "What's that?"

"His sister. Everything he's ever done in his life was to protect her. For her he'll go anywhere, do anything, fight anything he has to. She's the same way. Those two are all they have in the world. Without the other, nothing has any meaning for them. Remember that if you ever have to fight them, and ask yourself, could you really kill one of them? Because if you did, you'd have to kill both of them. And if you killed both of them, would you really be able to live with it?"

Kotori shook her head and wiped away a tear from her eye, "No… I'd want to save them. Not hurt them."

Kurumi nodded, "That's your price then."

"What do you mean?"

"Equivalent Exchange. Your Angel seems to be particularly cruel to you. It's happy to grant you power, but in exchange, it'll put your principals and your ideals to the test. You have one particularly warmongering Archangel there. Your desires are wholly incompatible. Your origin is clearly the only thing that made the two of you compatible with each other at all. You want to save your enemies, but it wants to destroy them. You get to be your own worst enemy. I don't envy you."

"So you're saying I should just give up? Is that what you're saying?!"

"If I thought you should just give up, why would I give up my time to teach you? Think a little before you jump to stupid conclusions!" she said while smacking the girl's head again.

"It hardly seems like an equivalent exchange... Yours seems more unfair to me… What does it actually mean to give up your own time anyway?"

Kurumi sighed and lay back on her couch bed. "I'm not sure how to explain that in a way which makes sense… And I'm not really sure you would want to know if I could."

Kotori looked carefully at the pained expression in the spirit's crimson eye.

 _I want answers from her… But the way she looks right now. If I push her, and make her think about something painful like that… I need to know. But at the same time, is it too selfish of me to push for answers? If I needed to know, wouldn't she just tell me? No… That's not it._

"Kurumi. I think I deserve to know."

Kurumi blinked and started laughing, "Oh you _deserve_ to know? Haha! That's so adorable! Please… Tell me. What could possibly give you the right to know anything about me?"

"Because you're more than just my friend! I need to know why you're doing all of this for me! Why you're protecting me. Teaching me. How you know me so well!"

"Are you prepared to use one of your commands to make me tell you?" asked Kurumi with her signature scary grin.

"Pfft. What's to stop you from lying to me even if I did demand an answer that way?"

"Nothing. You'd just have to decide how much you trust me."

"I'm still trying to figure that out… Part of me wants to believe you're doing this because you're a good person. But the other part of me says you have some other motive."

"Very good. Now you're thinking like a magus."

"Equivalent Exchange. You talk about about that. You talk about how precious time is to you. Yet you spend a lot of it with me. How does it further your agenda?"

"The only logical answer to that is...?"

"That I'm your agenda. But why? Laugh if you want, but I deserve an answer! After all you've done for me, do you really think I wouldn't do anything in my power for you?"

"I know you would. That's part of the problem Kotori-chan. One day you will be able to help me. But it isn't today. That's why I need to prepare you."

"Here's my conclusion. I think. Somehow. You're from the future. That's how you know what's happening, and what's going to happen. And somehow, I think my power is useful to you. So that's why you're protecting and teaching me."

Kurumi laughed hysterically. "Oh. That's good. You're so close, but so far off the mark."

"Explain it to me then!" she demanded while looking down at the other girl laying on the bed.

Kurumi put her hands behind her head and smiled, "You're right. Zafkiel's power does allow her to travel back in time. But that comes at an astronomical cost of time and mana. The only part you're wrong about is that I know what's going to happen. It would be so nice if it worked that way. But it doesn't. The moment I tamper with a timeline, all bets are off. In this particular case, I tried to instigate a war between the Clock Tower and DEM."

"Shido mentioned that… When you were in London. But that was what? A year ago?"

"Mhmm. After that I tried a bunch of other things too. End result is that right now, I have no idea what's coming next. If I really knew everything that was going to happen, do you think she'd have been surprised when you two got caught in that Bounded Field?"

"So this time around you pulled too much attention onto yourself?"

"Exactly right. It's not that I can't handle it. I've been through worse."

"So if you failed that time, why didn't you just go back right then and try again?"

"Because it takes a lot of time, and a lot of mana. We have to gather and store it up for her."

"Alright. I won't ask how that works right now… What I really want to know is why are you doing this? How many times have you done this? Obviously enough that you know all the players inside and out. But. Why? What are you trying to achieve?"

"At first. My goal was to stop all of this from ever happening at all. But when I realized the scale of what I was up against I knew that was impossible. I tried. Believe me I tried. Now, you could say I have more realistic ambitions."

"Which are?"

"I can't tell you that Kotori. Please don't try to make me. If I did tell you. It could screw everything up. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know how to make things happen. If I told you. Then it could throw everything into chaos again. I've given all of my life, and all of my time for this. I need you to be ready in the critical moment. That's why I'm teaching you."

"Just one more question, and then I'll drop this subject. I promise."

"I think I know what you're going to ask. But go ahead," said Kurumi while sitting up to face her.

"If you're from the future. Shouldn't there be another you here? I mean another real you, not a copy or whatever. I don't get why there isn't."

Kurumi chuckled at that, "I didn't expect that one. That's just another way to ask the question I didn't want to answer before Kotori," she said with a wink.

"Damn it… Every time I get just one answer out of you, I somehow end up knowing less than I did before."

"I've had a lot of practice with this," she grinningly replied. "But if it makes you feel any better. I don't even fully understand it myself. No matter how many times it was explained to me."

"This sucks… How can I just accept this? How many times have you done this? What could be so bad that makes you-"

Kurumi put a finger on her lips to shush her. "You promised to drop this subject."

* * *

The next morning Ryouko watched Shirou sit down at the cafe table with a distressed look on his face. She chose not to say anything to him except to exchange pleasant greetings and waited patiently for him to speak whatever was on his mind. She knew already what was bothering him, after the phone conversation they had it was abundantly clear to her. She didn't have to imagine herself in the same place as him. She was in the same place as him.

"This was exactly why I didn't want to get involved in any of this in the first place…" he said with no small amount of anxiety evident in his voice.

The tension and stress he was feeling was obvious to her. She wished dearly that she could say something to make him feel better but she herself was under the same pressure and had no idea what could make her feel better about the situation and so decided to keep quiet for the moment and hear him out.

"I'm used to knowing what to do," he said while looking around to take note of the fact that they were alone at the cafe for the moment. "I'm used to being able to solve problems directly. I'm used to knowing who my enemies are and how to attack them directly. But with this… I really don't have the first clue of how to go about it."

"You know what you want to do. But you also know that doing it will make things worse," she said to him. "Today I just got word that my team will now be subordinate to a group of specialists from DEM. This is the world we live in now. Where professional soldiers are being made to take orders from a private company. This isn't what I signed up for and I'm honestly strongly considering resigning my commission."

Shirou took a moment to consider the implications of that statement before nodding, "In your place I'd probably do the same thing. I can't tell you what to do though. The selfish part of me says that you should probably stay because I need eyes and ears on the inside. But the bigger part of me says you should follow your ideals."

"Part of me wants to stay for the same reason. But the bigger part of me says to get out and take Origami with me. There's a reason she left DEM, and I won't for even a moment let her subject herself to this."

"It's none of my business really, but, may I ask why a sixteen year old girl was even allowed into the military?"

"It's because of her skills, and her inside knowledge. All very valuable to the Anti-Spirit Team. I won't be calling us the 'mecha-mecha squad' heh," she said with a wink to Shirou. "Ultimately, it was because she needed protection from any potential retaliation by DEM and getting her into the army was the best way. Her enlistment was conditional to her having a legal guardian, so naturally I became that. But now, the people she was counting on have all sold out to DEM."

Shirou shook his head at that, "Not true. The only person she's counting on hasn't sold out," he said with a smile. "I'm probably going to send Kotori to stay with Ciel's family in Misaki. I don't doubt for a moment they'll shelter Origami as well if she needs it. It would also probably make it easier for Kotori to swallow if her best friend was going with her for the same reason. She doesn't like the idea of being driven out of her home. But after she was directly targeted, I can't take the risk of not sending her away."

"It's probably a stupid question considering the fact that you're sending your daughter there, but… How safe is it for them there? I'd consider this. But. Naturally-"

"You need some assurances," he finished for her to which she nodded.

"I understand. Well. I don't exactly get along with Shiki Tohno, but that's strictly between him and me. I don't doubt for a moment that he'll die before he lets any harm come to Kotori. Or anyone under his protection. His sister Akiha is someone I do get along with, and have a lot of respect for. She's done a lot of very good work in our 'world' making Misaki a safer place and improving the family's standing. They're a very powerful, and very influential family with a lot of wealth and resources at their disposal. Nobody just picks a fight with them. All hell would break lose. They're a half-demon family, along with their many branch families. So I mean that rather literally."

Ryouko's eyes widened at his last statement, "You mean like… Demons?"

Shirou nodded, "Demons aren't what you're probably thinking. At least, they aren't necessarily what you're thinking. Shiki, like me, was adopted into the Tohno family. His sister Akiha though is a Tohno by blood and does have the demon lineage. Just trust me, she isn't bad in any way shape or form, but she's also really not someone to screw around with. Yoshino really adores her and likes spending time with her, so take that for what it's worth."

"I see… I'll try to keep an open mind about that then."

"It's also worth mentioning that Ciel's relationship with Shiki is a bit complicated. You see, she sort of ended up in this sort of polygamous non-marriage marriage… It's complicated. But his other partner, Arcueid… I hope I said her name right, is a True Ancestor. That would require a lot of background to explain but let me just sum it up by stating bluntly that she's pretty close to what you'd imagine a Vampire is. No she doesn't actually suck people's blood. But anyone who tries to pick a fight with her is going to have a _very_ fucked up day."

"Is she very violent?" asked Ryouko with no trivial amount of concern.

"Only when provoked. Normally she's just as peaceable as Yoshino. My wife got along with her very well, and Kotori also adores her. They used to take trips there together to spend weekends all the time."

"But not you?"

Shirou shook his head, "No. I kind of regret not going as often as they did though. But someone had to work to support Rin's addiction to precious gems…" he said with a roll of his eyes. "Her magecraft relied on gems… Complicated and expensive stuff… very expensive. She used to joke that the Tohsaka family were cursed to forever be broke because of their magecraft. That curse passed onto the Emiya family after I married her."

Ryouko chuckled a little at that, "Well. I guess I'm sold on this idea. Maybe we should all get together later and run it by the kids?"

Shirou nodded, "I agree. The next question is. What do you want to do?"

"After careful consideration, and based on the present situation on the base. I've decided to defect to your side. I'm not sure how much help I can be without access to my equipment. I'm not like any of you. But whatever I can do. I'll do."

"Well… There have been times where I wished for nothing more than a really good getaway driver. I can count off the top of my head at least a dozen times you could have saved us a lot of pain and suffering."

Ryouko laughed at that, "I'm leaving the army to begin a career as a professional getaway driver. The interesting turns life takes," she said with a grin, "Give me an example of one of those times. I'm really curious now!"

Shirou laughed with her and then took a moment to gather his recollections, "There was this one time in Roanapur-"

"Aye aye aye… Do I even want to know what the hell you were all doing there?"

"Probably not. But anyway. There was this Rogue Mage who was creating something particularly nasty to sell on the black market. Shiki and I went in the front while Ciel and Rin came down off the roof. Our other friend Luvia was waiting in the car for us. After we got our business done the shit really hit the fan. Let me just say that Luvia Edelfelt is not someone whom you want behind the wheel of a car on the best of days. By the end of a short drive we were upside down and in the sea."

Ryouko laughed while he continued the story.

"In the end we were rescued by this mercenary crew with an old PT boat as they were leaving port. Thankfully we had just enough cash to hire them to get us the hell out of there or else they might have just tossed us back in the drink. After that we ended up in Bangkok, broke, filthy, and miserable. And that's another story you really don't want to hear."

"Shiiit… And I thought I had some bad nights out on a town. Alright. We'll figure the rest out later. For now. Let's go do something!" she said while standing up and then she took Shirou by his hand to drag him out into the city.

* * *

Finally it was lunch time at the school and the first thing Kotori noticed was Origami sitting alone at their table.

 _That's a relief, things might finally be getting back to something resembling normal._

Kotori went to sit down opposite her friend and smiled brightly. "Nice to be back here with you Senpai."

"Nice to be back Kotori," she said with a small smile and a nod of her head.

"Now things can start being normal again," she said happily before Kurumi sat down beside Origami. "Spoke too soon..." she then muttered under her breath.

"So I trust that Spot finally has a warm and loving home that he's comfortable in?" asked Kurumi with an amused voice and smile on her lips while she looked at Origami.

 _Oh crap… The moment I've been dreading._

"I must admit that my curiosity is the only reason I am engaging you in this conversation. So let us begin with the part where you explain to me how you knew that was the only one missing from my collection, and how you knew about said collection?"

Kurumi bit her lip, and to Kotori's shock, she blushed.

"Ara ara..." she began timidly. "I must admit. I didn't actually put much thought into how I would explain this."

"Then perhaps the truth? Then we can begin everything else on the correct foot as it were," said Origami with her cold and almost emotionless voice.

"Maybe we should take our lunch break on the roof today? Before the Takamiyas and Tonomachi show up. We obviously have something to talk about they shouldn't be a party to," suggested Kotori.

"Perhaps that would be best?" Kurumi seconded.

"Agreed," said Origami to make it final. "We'll also have to discuss our future seating arrangements with them. I don't care to share this table with those three."

 _Thank you Senpai… Thank you! Without you things went totally crazy!_

"What about me?" asked Kurumi with a shy voice that got Kotori's jaw to hit the ground.

"That is to be determined based on the conversation we will be having now…" said Origami while standing up.

A short while later, after quickly investigating the roof to confirm they were indeed alone there to speak freely Origami folded her arms over her chest and stared coldly into Kurumi's crimson eye. "You may begin your explanation," she demanded.

Kotori watched the two nervously for a long moment while Kurumi seemed to be gathering her thoughts.

"Well… This is all really complicated…" she began shyly.

Kotori was getting infuriated, "What's with you all of a sudden Kurumi? You're anything but shy!"

"Well. When you learn the truth. You'll understand why this isn't an easy moment for me. You see… The truth is that I'm actually-" in that instant Kurumi was impaled through the abdomen and pulled into her own shadow by a number of umbral hands. "Not again!" she yelled.

Origami was quickly on edge and standing protectively in front of Kotori while Kotori held her hand out to the side with a flame conjured and ready for use. After a moment of nothingness, Origami turned to look at the younger girl for an explanation and noticed the flame in her hand.

"Oh… Heh… Sorry. Reflex," she said before extinguishing the flame.

"That was your magecraft?" asked Origami.

Kotori nodded, "Yeah… Fire alignment. Believe me, I appreciate the irony."

"Explain what just happened."

"Well… I don't exactly know what just happened…"

"I do. And I apologize for giving you a little scare like that," said the disembodied voice of Kurumi before she emerged from a dark hole forming in the ground before the two girls. "I just couldn't have her running her mouth too much."

"Did you kill her?" asked a snarling Kotori.

"Oh my… Someone's getting overly attached. I assure you. She's very much alive. Unfortunately," she said with a sigh after fully emerging in her orange and black Astral Dress.

A moment later a second shadow appeared beside it and the other Kurumi poked out her head with a cute little grin on her lips. "She can't kill me. But it doesn't stop her from trying," she said before giggling.

"Would you just go away?!" demanded the orange Kurumi before stomping her booted foot down on her doppelganger's head to shove her back into the hole.

A moment later her head reappeared behind her again and laughed. "Sure beautiful. I'll go away. After all I did intentionally provoke you into coming here yourself. It was for your own good. You should be the one to have this conversation instead of me, after all, she was _your_ -"

Kurumi quickly drew her pistol and shot the other her in the head. "Would you just shut up!"

Origami quickly pushed Kotori back from the aggressive spirit. "Now do you see why the Spirits are so dangerous Kotori?"

"Oh relax Origami… Like I said. I can't actually kill her," she groaned before stomping her foot down on her face as she tried to poke her head up out of another shadow. "Do you mind already?! You're making them nervous and I'm not in the mood to play whack-a-me!"

Kotori sighed and relaxed a bit before giggling at their display. "Kurumi has a few screws loose, but she's really nice once you get to know her."

"Have fun beautiful," said the other Kurumi from a longer distance away before winking and ducking the next gun shot.

"Kurumi? Would you mind putting away the gun now? It isn't loud and doesn't sound like a proper gun but that noise is going to attract attention!"

Kurumi groaned in irritation and threw her pistol into a shadow before closing her eyes and allowing her body to be enveloped in darkness, once it faded off her she was dressed just like her other self in their tan school uniform. "Ahem… Right. Now where were we?"

Origami blinked, "A few loose screws you say?"

Kotori sighed, "You… Or the other you. Was about to explain the toy you gave her."

Origami nodded, "And it seems you didn't wish to allow her to tell the truth. I assure you that I will not allow you to lie to me."

"No… I don't suppose you would, would you?" said Kurumi before taking a deep breath, "It's a long story… Such a long story. One that would probably even give Zelretch himself a giant migraine. So I'm going to spare you the details and just give you what you need to figure it out for yourself Origami."

Origami sighed in irritation. "Tobiichi. There are only two people who may use my first name. Neither of them are you."

Kurumi snickered, "Very well. Tobiichi. But I promise you'll be Origami again before I'm done talking," she said with a wink.

"Very arrogant of you…"

"You used to like that about me," she said with a smirk.

Kotori blinked in confusion but said nothing.

"Explain yourself," demanded the white haired girl.

"Oooh… I do love that dominant streak in you. Anyway. Moving along… This lobster loves to pinch…" she said in cute sort of voice while holding up two fingers on each of her hands and started making a scissors like gesture with them.

Kotori narrowed her eyes, "This another nursery rhyme? This isn't the time to do something stupid Kurumi," she said before looking at Origami's reaction, she looked, shocked. Her eyes wide, and shaking.

 _She looks just like she did when she saw me in the hospital… That's not good._

"Eating his food inch by inch…" Kurumi continued while slowly walking up to Origami.

"How… Impossible…" she muttered softly.

"Balancing carefully with his tail," she went on.

Origami was paralyzed in place, speechless.

Kurumi started moving even more slowly "Moving forward, slow as a snail."

When she finished she stopped just outside of Origami's personal space with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. Not one of her creepy scary smiles, but a genuinely warm smile.

"Who are you?" Origami demanded very firmly with her teeth and fists tightly clenched.

"When you were little, your parents went away on a business trip. When they came back they brought you this little red lobster. Adorable little thing it was. It was your favorite thing in the world. When you, one day on a whim, did a little research on the internet about your new little friend you found that poem about him. You also found out that he was one of nine. So he had eight friends out there he probably wanted to be reunited with. But they were very difficult if not impossible to find. After that thing which I shall not speak of. You ended up, through whatever twists of fate, in a facility owned and operated by DEM Industries. With nothing except the clothes on your back, and your one little friend…"

Origami stepped forward and grabbed the spirit by her jacket. "Who are you?!" she demanded again.

Kotori moved to try and get between them but Kurumi gently waved her off, smiling to let her know she knew exactly what she was doing.

"There was an old toy box there you one day looked through. Lo and behold you found a new little friend... Licorice, gum, and peppermint candy. This moose always has these handy. But there is one more thing he likes to eat. Can you guess his favorite treat?"

"Chocolate the Moose…"

"And then they were two. It was like a sign. Even though everything was bad, and you were so sad, you found something there to make you happy. Something that let you know you were in the right place at the right time… Then you were taken to London. And lo and behold. They became three."

"Somehow. Everywhere I went in my life I found one of them."

Kurumi nodded, "Whenever you found one. You knew you were in the right place at the right time. Some twist of fate. Some sign from a higher power."

"Was it you? Did you put them all there or something?! Are you screwing around with me Spirit?!"

Kurumi shook her head, "No. I'm not that powerful. Or that creative. But let me ask you something. You got Flash when you came back to Japan. From Ryouko right? Tell me this. Is Splash still in your collection?"

Origami tightened her grip on the spirit.

"I'll take that as a yes. Do you remember where you found that one?"

"I don't… I often wonder though. Somehow he's just there. But I have no idea where he came from. Did you have something to do with that?"

Kurumi nodded, "That one was mine when I was little. My mother gave it to me while I was in the hospital, the day before they cut out my eye. It was one of the most precious things I had. But I gave him away. To someone who could give him a home and a family, and a life. Someone who would love and cherish him even more than I ever could have..."

Origami released her grip and walked away with her hands on her head.

Kotori looked between the two in even more confusion.

"I'm sorry to maybe ruin a moment. But… If I have this straight… Kurumi. Your power. What you said last night. Or what she said… This is confusing. But I'm guessing that you-"

"I knew you all. In a previous life. That much you probably figured out before now. Certainly didn't help that the other me can't keep her mouth shut, or her emotions in check. I swear she exists only to put me in these awkward situations..."

"Then why don't any of us know you? Ryouko is the only other person in the world who knows about my collection and its significance. It's not something I'd even have told Kotori. But somehow, you expect me to believe I told you?"

"Don't play dumb Origami. You already figured it out but just don't want to say it. Or do I need to reveal some other privileged information to convince you it's true?"

"You two weren't just friends…" Kotori said in disbelief.

"Why tell me? Why send me Spot? What am I supposed to do with this information?" asked Origami before turning to face the spirit again.

Kurumi shrugged, "Keep an open mind? I knew that finding Spot and getting it to you through someone you trust would be the best way to get you to leave the gun at home. Or did you bring it with you?"

Origami's eyes narrowed at Kurumi.

"Oh my… You did! Didn't you?" she asked with her most devilish grin. "Where in _that_ skirt did you hide it?" she asked in a voice that was just entirely too suggestive for anyone to feel comfortable.

Origami reached around behind her back and pulled out her handgun, she held it in both of her hands without it pointed at anyone and looked Kurumi in her eye. "Will I need it?"

Kurumi looked away innocently with her hands behind her back again. "Yes. But not for me. I'm not your enemy."

Origami nodded before dropping out the magazine into her hand, clearing her chamber, catching the bullet, clicking on the safety and then putting it away again after replacing the magazine. "You didn't try to convince me to get rid of it... Now I know you really do know me."

Kotori rubbed her forehead. "Can I ask a stupid question?"

The other two looked at her curiously.

Kotori took a deep breath, "Is it bad that I'm more shocked that Origami brought a gun to school than I am about her being gay and you being a time traveler?"

"No… It's what I expect of you," said Kurumi with a smile.

"Indeed. So my best friend is a magus, and my classmate is a time traveling spirit who was once my lover. I've given up on simplicity ever being a part of my life a very long time ago so I'm just going to go with it. Next question. DEM tried to kidnap Kotori, and you stopped them from doing that. You should also know that my former comrades in the Triple S are all gathering here along with a second team of elite troops who have now taken command of the AST away from Ryouko. I assume you know about this? Being from the future and all. What is your plan?"

Kurumi shook her head, "It doesn't work that way Origami. I've excessively tampered with this timeline, which means all bets are off. I have no idea how things will play out now. I knew Jessica Bailey was here because I fought her off the other day, along with Ellen Mira Mathers. Shido and Mana are also here in the school and that's never happened before either. That's why I need you to trust and help me."

"Shido and Mana are our first problem. By now they know we're all up here talking. I'm not certain what they hoped to achieve by being here. My best guess would be that Ellen sent them here to find out what you were up to. My suggestion is to make use of that to channel misinformation while finding the means to secure ourselves from a direct attack."

Kurumi nodded, "I agree. I'd be hard pressed to fight the whole Triple S. Even with your help. DEM aren't moving this much muscle into Japan just to deal with me, no matter how much of an irritant I've made myself to them. Something else is drawing them here."

"Agreed. Finding out what should be our next step after securing ourselves."

Kotori looked between the two with confusion. "What's with you two all of a sudden? I didn't expect any of this at all. I thought there would be an epic duel to bring the school down again or at the very least a cat fight in the cafeteria. But you two are suddenly going together like salt and pepper."

"Because her hair's white and mine's black?"

Kotori nodded, "Pretty much. It does instantly bring that analogy to mind. Not that I'm not glad you two are getting along."

Kurumi smiled at that, "The worst case scenarios you mentioned have all happened before. That's why when I came across Spot in my recent travels I knew how to adjust my approach so she wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later. It's also the last trick I had up my sleeve to make sure anything would go my way. From here on out. I know as much as you do."

"I don't believe that for a moment Kurumi… But I'll let it go for now since we obviously have bigger fish to fry."

"She's right. As much as I'd love to start getting to know you again Origami. Maybe we should be getting back, and a little faux hostility towards me would help avoid giving Shido and Mana the impression that we're allies now. They probably still think they can tempt you back onto their team."

"I assure you. There's no chance of that. Though I probably owe an explanation for what happened before…"

"Save it for later. Oh and by the way…" said Kurumi with a smirk at the white haired girl. "I told you'd be Origami again before I was done talking."

Origami sighed, with irritation "We'll discuss that later as well."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shirou and Ryouko were perusing the list of movies to watch in the theatre.

"Hmm…" he pondered as he looked through what was showing.

"Hey Shirou! How about this one?" she said while pointing at a poster.

 _That should do it._

Shirou walked over to look more closely at the poster. "Interesting choice. But may I ask why this one?"

"Well… You're into swords so you're probably also into Knights and things. Seems like it's right up your alley. And I hate chick flicks. I wouldn't subject you to that even if watching you be bored would be amusing."

"Hmm… I wouldn't mind having a few good laughs at Hollywood's latest attempt to tell her story."

"Her story?" asked Ryouko with a raised eyebrow. "It's King Arthur… Not Joan of Arc."

"Tell you what. Let's see this movie. After that. I'll tell you a story that'll make you shit bricks..."

"Very crude… But color me intrigued..." she said while following him in to buy tickets.

Barely forty five minutes later Shirou was pulling Ryouko out of the theatre by her hand and grumbling in frustration. "How could anyone pay to actually watch that garbage? Who the hell was the writer?"

"Wow… You're mad," said Ryouko with a cautious voice.

"Of course I'm mad. First of all, Excalibur wasn't the sword in the stone. That was Caliburn. She got Excalibur later from the Lady in the Lake. Second. Mordred wasn't even born yet when the roundtable was established. Third, Tristan wasn't a member of the Round Table at that time and Isolde was an Irish Princess for God's sake! She wasn't a Knight! Finally, Merlin was not in love with Morgana! Who the hell approved millions of dollars for that farce?!"

"You keep calling him a she…"

"That I can excuse. She kept that a secret because a woman couldn't be the ruler back then. The rest is unforgivable! I won't let a movie like that form the basis of how you think of her and her story!"

"You're not making any sense…" she said while looking at him in confusion. "But wow… You're mad," she said again.

"Of course I'm mad..." he reiterated. "They never get any of this right. Lancer got a movie about him that was almost completely accurate. Berserker got several that while being inaccurate were at least accurate enough and still entertaining. Hell even Caster got a movie about her that was pretty close to the full truth and even made me cry a little for her. But Saber always gets the short end of the stick in Hollywood and I hate it!"

"Shirou… What the hell have you been smoking? I think I might need some."

Shirou took a deep breath, "Sorry. I guess whenever I watch one of those King Arthur movies I work myself up. These were great people who deserve to have the truth about them shown to the world in an accurate and honest way. Let's just go eat something and then go somewhere else."

"Are you going to explain yourself now or later?"

"Oh right… I kind of went off on that angry rant and didn't even tell you why…"

* * *

"Alright… You are now officially the most interesting man I have ever dated," she said while holding out her beer mug to him.

"You actually believe me?" he asked while knocking glasses with her.

"After what I've seen and heard so far. I'd probably believe anything you say. But answer me one question. Saber. Was she pretty?"

"Very… Unbelievably so."

"Prettier than me?"

 _She set a trap and I walked right into it… Well done Shirou._

"You're both very pretty. Just in different ways. She was like the sun. Pretty in the sky, but I knew better than to stare too long or else my eyeballs would be burned out of my skull. But you're like a hurricane that I failed to get away from and now I'm doomed."

"Nice recovery, I'll take it," she said with a big proud smile. "As a reward, I might rock you like a hurricane later," she said mischievously.

Shirou choked on his beer and she started laughing at him.

Before anything else could be said, her phone rang, her face soured, and she answered it, listened, and then hung up.

"I'm being called in…"

Shirou wiped the froth off his chin with a napkin while his expression turned serious. "Does that mean what I think it does?"

"I don't know, but chances are it probably does. Whatever happens try to stay out of the line of fire," she said with her dark eyes locked on his.

"That's never been something I'm good at…"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** I apologize profusely to anyone who ends up with one or both songs stuck in their heads. I ended up with both songs stuck in my head and they're presently waging all out war against each other.

I also apologize profusely if I misunderstood how some of the Nasuverse mechanics work. I did my best to research and understand some of this stuff but in some instances I wanted to expand a little or incorporate a different character's magecraft onto an already existing example of the same mystery for story telling purposes. So I may have taken certain liberties with the mechanics.

With that being said. Let's begin our date!

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

"I really need a drink right now…" he said before taking a big sip of his tea.

This just wasn't a night for tea, he needed a clear head even more than he needed a stiff drink, so Shirou resolved to stick with the green tea.

"Mind if I have one too?" asked Kurumi with a grin.

"You're still underage..." Shirou said back to her sternly.

"If you want to get technical right now, I'm older than you. By a lot."

"Doesn't matter. Stick with this timeline until you're twenty and then I'll be happy to share a bottle of the good stuff with you. Until then you're still sixteen," he said back before taking another big sip of his tea.

Origami sat quietly beside Kotori while Kurumi sat to the right of Shirou and Tohka sat at the head of the table and took a moment to refill everyone's tea cups.

"Thank you Tohka…" he said before taking another sip of his tea.

Kotori stared at her father, "Are you finally going to say something Pops?"

"The last time I had any dealing with someone from the future it didn't exactly go so well for me. I don't anticipate this being much better," he stated dryly.

"If it's worth anything. Time can be pretty embittering. Believe me I know," remarked Kurumi.

"By the way Kurumi. Are you, you know, you right now? Or is this the other you?" asked Kotori.

"We're all me silly. We're all the same. Well. Actually I suppose there are subtle differences which you pick up on over the years. But no. You're right. She doesn't behave like me at all sometimes. Probably because she does whatever she wants and I do what I want. We have the same goal, we just go about them in different ways which causes me no end of grief at times..."

"One of you says 'Oh my' and the other says 'Ara ara' that's kinda how I tell you apart now. Well. The original you and the you you can't get rid of. I don't think I've met any of the others yet."

"Really? I hadn't noticed that… I thought I stopped saying 'Ara ara' a very long time ago… Very interesting."

"Whatever. I suppose it doesn't matter," said Kotori before taking a sip of her tea.

Kurumi looked at Shirou who still had a blank expression on his face, "You probably have about a million or so questions for me right now Emiya-sama."

"Oh... At least that many. But experience has taught me that the less I know the better off I'll be. So I'll thank you not to answer any of them."

After a moment of tense silence he took a breath and spoke up again, "Anyway. Kotori, and Tobiichi. Ryouko and I were talking today, and we decided that it would be a good idea for the two of you to leave town for now until things settle down."

"What?!" asked a stunned Kotori.

"Agreed."

"What?!" asked Kotori again but to her friend this time.

"There is very little we can do, and going away for now would be the best path forward for us. Strategically speaking one can not plan an effective counter attack without first securing their position. Or else they themselves will be vulnerable to surprise attacks."

Shirou nodded, "Listen to your friend Kotori. She's thinking exactly the same way I am about this."

"This doesn't make sense to me. We haven't even tried to fight back yet!"

Kurumi was the next to interject, "Think about it rationally Kotori-chan. Right now your only contribution to any efforts your father makes in this war is to serve as a vulnerability to him. They've tipped their hand and shown that you're their target. Which means that resources would have to be expended to protect you here. Which means less resources for the front lines. Make sense? Right now, removing yourself from danger is the best way you can help your father fight back."

"Neither of us are defenseless!" she protested.

"We are though Kotori. Without a wiring suit and a realizer I can't perform magic. I'm not a Magus. All I have to defend myself with is a nine millimeter pistol and fifteen bullets. Against Wizards and Mages, that is worthless. And you are still a novice yourself correct? What can you do against someone like Ellen? Who's trained her whole life to perform magecraft and who helped design the Combat Realizers and tactics the Wizards use and has more actual combat experience than you or I. Your father, Ryouko, Kurumi, and Tohka are the ones who have to fight this right now."

Kurumi held out her hand to Origami, "That reminds me, may I see your piece? I might be able to help you with that."

Origami reached around behind her and pulled out her pistol, but removed the magazine and rechecked the chamber before handing it over to a smiling Kurumi. "You still don't trust me? That hurts you know."

"You know me. I don't know you," she stated with indifference.

"If I wanted to shoot you, I wouldn't need your gun to do it. I have my own," she said with a wink. "I need your bullets as well or this will be pointless," she added.

"It's alright Origami. If you can't trust her, trust me," said Kotori with a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Origami looked to Shirou who, after a moment, gave her a nod.

Origami sighed and then handed over her magazine, plus the extra bullet she then pulled out of her pocket.

Kurumi gave Origami a quick nod, "Now I just need a strand of your hair."

Origami looked at her quizzically before looking around the room as if asking for an explanation.

Shirou nodded at the girl in response, "It's alright Tobiichi. I think I know what she has in mind."

Origami finally relented and picked out a strand of her white hair and tore it out to then pass over to Kurumi. "What are you going to do?"

Kurumi picked up the pistol first and held it flat on top of her hand before closing her eye and flooding her magic circuits. She then set the pistol down and then repeated the process with the magazine and bullets before she started extracting them and setting them down across the table in front of her. Then she pulled out a strand of her own hair to twist with Origami's and activated her magic crest, the strands of hair began to glow and merge before breaking apart and bonding to the bullets.

Kurumi then began to load the bullets back into the magazine. "I just reinforced your gun and bullets, and _partially_ infused your ammo with my origins. Since you're not a magus, I added my own power to the rounds so when you fire them they'll use my mana to actualize the mystery. All you have to do is point and shoot. But it will only work if you're the one firing the rounds."

Shirou turned a heavy stare on Kurumi, "I've heard of Magecraft like this before…"

"Yes. I thought you might recognize it. Origin rounds can do all sorts of interesting things depending on the origin of the person. With these rounds, they simply can't be stopped, well, at least their fake magic shields won't stop them, it's complicated. Until I found a better way of going about it this was pretty much the only weapon I had against the Wizards. Believe me, cutting out your own own bones to fully infuse your ammunition with your origins is messy, painful, and very ill advised. The good news is that my whole plan was a bust because when I reversed my own time to restore the damage I did to myself, the bone I cut out just went back where it was, and I couldn't use any of my clones because they don't get my origin. Well. Except for the one..."

Everyone around the table suddenly winced at the thought of what she just explained.

"Did you actually use her to make these 'origin round' things?" asked Kotori with her temper about to flare.

"Of course not. Like I said the whole thing was a bust, for a lot of reasons. I didn't fully think that one through. Like what I would do when I ran out of ammo. Some bones are just more valuable than others in the long term. But anyway, by the time she came around, I'd already moved on to using my jewel shots, which turned out to be much more efficient."

"Can you show us how to do that?" asked Shirou.

"I can. But it won't help anyone but me. My weapons are Mystic Codes that only work for me, and my spells will similarly only work when fired from my guns. DEM Wizards aren't invulnerable. You've discovered that for yourself by now. The only ones of us who'll have a problem breaching their defenses is Kotori and Origami. They just have to brute force it. Tohka's Sandalphon is particularly vicious when it come to annihilating magic, and I don't know why."

Shirou nodded, "I've experienced that. So. Tomorrow I'll bite the bullet… Metaphorically speaking… And call Shiki. Then I'd like to get the two of you down there by tomorrow night at the latest. Tobiichi, if it's all the same to you, I'd like you to stay over with us tonight. Tomorrow we can go with you to your place and help you pack if Ryouko isn't back before then."

"That is acceptable. Thank you for your hospitality," she said politely to Shirou.

Kotori nodded, "I don't like it. But. I suppose it's for the best."

"Good. Now that we've settled that. Just one more question…" he then turned his full attention back on Kurumi. "What are you going to do now?"

Kurumi grinned, "I, am going to stay here to kick some ass. You're welcome to join me. But you have to do as I say."

Shirou chuckled at the girl, "Oh really? I have to do as you say? It doesn't work that way I-"

Kurumi groaned aloud, "Don't even start with me _old man_. Doing things your way is what got me into the mess I'm in to begin with. I've fought these people more times than I can count. I can win every battle now. It's just finding the way to win the war that's elusive. But once Ciel gets back, we'll be able to do a lot more. For now, we just need to defend ourselves. Nothing more."

"Ciel suggested the same thing. What's she found?"

"I could tell you but I'd rather wait and see the look on your face when you see for yourself. It's always priceless," she said with a wink. "For now, you should take Ciel's advise," said Kurumi while standing up. "I'll go post some guards while you cook us dinner. Sound good?"

"Now I'm just the designated chef to you? You're in my house young lady. Where did you learn your manners?! Or your strategy?" he said while standing up and looking down on her.

Kurumi stood up to talk back to him in the same the same sort of condescending tone he took with her. "The same place you did! The School of Hard Knocks! Just like you I was a valedictorian! I've had my ass kicked enough times to know my business!"

"You have to actually win a war to consider yourself a graduate!" he barked back.

"I've fought and won more battles then you probably have!" she yelled back.

"So what's your strategy then?" he asked her with her arms crossed and looking down on her through a narrowed eye.

"I have sentries at the army base, the DEM Headquarters and Dormitory. I'll know the moment they make a move. Now if you'll excuse, I need to to post some around the immediate area."

Shirou nodded to her, "Alright. This I want to see."

* * *

Shirou, Kotori, and Tohka all had their eyebrows raised while Origami crossed her arms seeming unimpressed.

The clones all initially appeared in her orange and black gothic styled astral dress, but after they got into their positions they all held up their hands and became enveloped in shadows. After that they were all dressed in old styled military uniforms, except with bright orange coats and black trimmings. They were also notably missing hats.

"Alright! You bunch of- really… _Attractive_ young women," she said to a paraded formation of two dozen of her musket wielding copies. "You all know what to do!"

"Desendez Arms!" yelled one clone who seemed to be in the officer position. The clones all lowered their weapons until the stocks of their muskets were resting on the ground to their left sides.

"Baionette aux Canons!" she yelled and all held their rifles slightly forward while shadows gathered and expanded along their barrels until each had a fully formed bayonet attached to it.

"Show off…" muttered Origami.

"Portez arms!" They responded by lifting their bayoneted muskets to the shoulders.

"Par le flanque gauche, a gauche!" she yelled and all turned to their left in unison.

Shirou scratched the side of his head while Tohka furiously rubbed her eyes and Kotori tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"What the hell am I looking at?" Shirou finally asked.

"It's her power. Apparently she can make copies of herself. Lots of them," answered Kotori.

"Our courtyard has become some kind of military reenactment…" he said while the clones started marching towards a very dark corner of his courtyard.

Shirou started whistling the tune of The British Grenadiers, he couldn't help himself.

When the copies of Kurumi all heard him they all stopped in place and started giving him dirty looks.

Utterly oblivious, a moment later he started singing the lyrics, "Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules. Of Hector and Lysander, and such great names as these. But of all the world's great heroes, there's none that can compare, with a tow, row-"

"No no no no! Stop that!" yelled the original Kurumi while stomping her foot down in annoyance. "Ladies! Show him how it's done!"

The clones then started singing loudly and very happily as they started marching away again, so loud the whole neighborhood couldn't not have heard them. Also of course proving that she really couldn't carry a tune. " **Mais pas d'oignons aux Shirō! Non pas d'oignons pour ce chien! Mais pas d'oignons aux Shirō! Non pas d'oignons, non pas d'oignons! - Au pas camarade, au pas camarade! Au pas, au pas, au pas! Au pas camarade, au pas camarade! Au pas, au pas, au pas!"**

Kotori palmed her face. "I don't have the words for this level of insanity…" she said with a groan.

"I do…" started Shirou with his arms crossed irritably. "I call this 'par for the course'."

"I don't get it. Why won't they let you have any onions Shirou?" asked Tohka.

It was Shirou's turn to palm his face before lowering his hand and then looking at Tohka curiously, "Is that what it meant? By the way Tohka… Exactly how many languages do you speak?" he asked her in English.

"I don't know… Lots and lots. I've always been able to understand and communicate with everyone who's attacking me anywhere I ended up. Why?"

"Exactly how do you know so many languages?"

Tohka shrugged, "I just do? I can't really explain it," she answered sounding very much like an American woman.

"It's interesting. That's all."

"This is why I wanted to learn to play instruments. Could have had drummers in my 'Kurumi Brigade' and all that good stuff. But alas… It was not to be," she said sadly.

* * *

Kotori had withdrawn to her room to begin packing a suitcase while her father cooked dinner. On a whim however, she picked up her phone, and strictly on a whim, she dialed a number and waited impatiently while it rang.

"Emiya?" asked Tonomachi, "I hope everything's alright?"

"Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be?!"

"Eeeesh! No need to yell. It's just that the last time you called me it because of a catastrophe. But it's nice to hear from you if there's nothing bad happening."

Kotori felt her heart shatter and put a hand over it. "Yeah… About that…"

"See? You do only call when there's something going on. Tell me what it is. Whatever I can do to help I will."

"Yeah… About that…" she repeated. "There isn't anything you can do to help, but I just wanted to tell you I won't be at school for a while…"

 _What the hell was I thinking making this call? How the hell am I supposed to explain this to him?_

"Emiya…" he said with the most serious tone of voice she'd ever heard from him, then she heard a door shut. "Talk to me. Whatever it is. You can talk to me."

"I don't know how to tell you… I don't even know why I'm telling you. I just…"

"Take your time, I have as long as it takes," he said. She heard what sounded him him sitting down in a chair.

Kotori sat down on her bed with a long drawn out sigh. "I shouldn't be telling you any of this… So you'd better keep it to yourself or I swear I'm going to set your ass on fire!"

 _And I hope that tone tells him I mean it very literally!_

Tonomachi suppressed a laugh, "I swear it Emiya. Anything you tell me is just between us."

Kotori was silent for a long moment while she considered her words, "I have to go away to another city tomorrow, and I don't know when I'll be back," she finally just said plainly.

"The way you sound right now. I'm guessing you don't want to go?"

Kotori shook her head, as if he could see her do that.

"I can't actually see you nod or shake your head. You'll have to talk to me," he said with an amused voice.

Kotori growled irritably into the phone, "Of course I don't want to go but I don't have a choice."

"I'd tell you something like how you always have a choice or something. But before I do that, may I ask why you're going? I'm sensing this is something more than just an impromptu vacation."

"Something like that… I can't actually tell you what's going on. If I did I'd have to kill you,"

 _I mean that literally too…_

Kotori sighed, "All I can tell you is that there are some problems. I can't tell you what they are. I can't tell you anything at all. I don't even know why I made this call! Grrrrah!"

"Take a breath Emiya. I get you. Believe me I do. Probably more than you know. If you're calling me about this you must have really run out of people to confide in and I appreciate the trust you've given me. Let me give you some in return, alright?"

Kotori couldn't keep a small smile off her face, "Alright. I can accept that."

"My life isn't exactly pleasant. I'm sure you've figured that out. There are times I'd like to just go away to another city and not look back. But, I don't have anywhere to go. If you have somewhere to go that'll get you away from whatever it is that your problems are, and I'm not saying they're the same as mine, but if they were, I'd tell you to go."

"I'm not sure if we have the problems Tonomachi. My problems aren't coming from inside my own home. They're coming from outside of it. That's why I have to go. But if your problems are what I think they are…"

"We don't have to talk about it. It's probably better if we don't. I guess all I'm trying to say is that if you need me, I'm here for you. I might be a nuisance to you, but for my part, you're my friend Emiya. If I can help you, I will, if you just need to talk, I'll listen, if you just need to rage, I'll listen to that too."

"Be careful what you wish for Tonomachi. You might get it."

"I'd be happy then. So where are you going?"

"I can't tell you that. But I can call you when I get there. Maybe by then I can put more thought into what I can actually tell you."

"So we have to be miles apart before you'll start talking to me normally?"

"Be grateful I'm talking to you at all!"

"I am… Believe me."

"Good! And no checking out Mana while I'm gone! I'll know if you were!" she yelled.

"Haha! Don't get me wrong, Mana is pretty. But she's got no personality."

"Mana has plenty of personality! Are you trying to say she's not good enough for you?"

"She's like a total brocon! Besides, I thought you hated her!"

"I don't hate _her_! I hate _you_ checking her out!"

"Like I said. She's pretty. And she doesn't bludgeon me for looking at her. Unlike someone else we both know."

"What? You don't think I'm pretty? You made your Date A Live girl look like me!"

"Did you miss the part about you bludgeoning me?"

"So you don't think I'm pretty?"

"I think you're pretty violent."

"Well you'd be right!"

"Unbelievable! We agree on something!"

"I wouldn't agree with you on the color of an Orange!"

"It's orange…"

"Not after I bash your face with it!"

"So if I asked Mana out you'd be alright with it?"

"Why would I have a problem with that? I don't care who you choose to get rejected by! As long as it's not me!"

"Does that mean you would or wouldn't reject me?" he asked curiously.

"It means her big brother might beat you up if you asked his little sister out."

"I don't care about him. Would _you_ beat me up if I did?"

"Find out. If you've got the stones!"

"Damn it Emiya are you just incapable of taking a hint or do you just actually not want to-" Tonomachi's voice was cut off by the sound of a loud crashing noise. "Damn it all… Why now? I gotta go Emiya. Be safe and call me when you get a chance or else I'll be the one who gets mad!" he said before hanging up the phone.

Kotori blinked at her phone once the line went dead before laying back on her bed with her arm draped over her eyes.

 _Damn it Tonomachi… What the hell is going on in that house of yours right now?_

* * *

Tohka set the table for dinner while Shirou was making his final preparations to dinner. Kurumi sniffed the air a few times, "Mmm… Are you making Hambagu?"

Shirou nodded, "That's exactly what I'm making. It's Kotori's favorite."

Kurumi smiled, "That's sweet of you. Aren't you just the best dad ever?"

Shirou snickered at that remark, "I know you're just being sarcastic. But I try to be."

"My favorite is Kinako Bread!" Tohka exclaimed while setting out the placemats and cutlery.

"Sukiyaki…" said Origami while looking at the pictures on the walls.

"Beef Teriyaki… But I also really like Sukiyaki," added Kurumi with a little grin at Origami.

"Both of which happen to be specialties of mine. Since you had my Teriyaki last time you were here, next time Origami is over for dinner, I'll make Sukiyaki."

"You don't have to do that Emiya-san. I'm fine with eating whatever you make. The dinner we had with Ryouko was very good," said Origami.

"I know I don't have to. But I like cooking things that people enjoy eating. Seeing my food being enjoyed is what I like most about cooking," he said while bringing out plates to set on the table.

Tohka rushed towards him and carefully took them from him, "Let me do this Shirou. You cooked everything, you should relax a little before we eat."

"Awww! How sweet is that!" remarked Kurumi. "Tohka would just be the best wife ever!"

Tohka was caught like a deer in the headlights with a big bright blush on her face while she set the table and then instead of saying anything in response rushed back to the kitchen to bring out more of the plates as Shirou set them on the counter.

"Awww… She's speechless," said Kurumi to milk it for all it was worth.

Shirou growled lowly in annoyance before chastising the Spirit. "Knock it off Kurumi. Don't come into our house and start making people uncomfortable."

"You didn't deny it…" she said with a grin.

"Why would I deny it? Tohka's a wonderful and outstanding woman, any man would be lucky to have her affections."

"Score…" said Kurumi while watching Tohka's face turn red as a tomato.

Origami looked from one particular picture on the wall and then back to Kurumi before walking over to the table, she sat down at a set place beside the dark haired spirit and them took a moment to lightly smack her in the back of the head.

"Owww! Why did you hit me?" she asked with a pleading puppy eye at Origami.

"You shouldn't tease like that. It's mean spirited."

"Was that an attempt at a double entendre?"

"However you chose to take it doesn't change the fact."

"The last three times we've met, you tried to kill me. Now you're hitting her on the head for making fun of me?"

"The first two times, we were enemies. The third time was more complicated than that. Today we are allies. Or do you still have a battle to fight with me?"

"You shot Kotori. I won't forgive that," said Tohka in her most serious voice. "But as long as you don't hurt her or anyone in this family ever again, I'll have no quarrel with you."

"I am grateful for that," said Origami with humility as she lowered her head to Tohka.

"Well… Before this room gets even more awkward…" said Shirou. "Tohka, would you mind checking on Kotori? Let her know dinner's ready?"

Tohka nodded and quickly stood up to go but before she could leave the room her attention was pulled to the entranceway of the house as footsteps came running through it.

Shirou waved Tohka off it while he walked towards the entrance where Taiga ran straight into him and started hugging him tightly. "Shirou! Shirou! Help me please!"

Her voice was broken, and utterly desperate. Nothing like he'd ever heard from her before.

"Fuji-nee… Take a deep breath. Tell me what happened," he asked while holding her comfortingly.

"My father Shirou…. They… They… They killed him! They killed everyone!" she said before sobbing and fainting before he could ask her any questions.

Shirou caught her in his arms and picked her up. "Tohka check the front gate and wait for me there. Origami, I need you and Kotori to look after Taiga."

Origami didn't say anything, she just stood up and began following him.

"I'll bring out some more of me to patrol the streets around the area and watch your back while you discreetly investigate her home, but I'll stay here to guard the house," said Kurumi with her eyes closed and a hand pulsating with darkness.

"Good call, you're not an amateur after all," he said to her as he passed by, "Kotori! Need your help here quickly!"

* * *

Kurumi sat on the veranda, her musket resting on the ground propped up against the ledge, and her pistol beside her as she watched the night sky with a mug of tea in her hands. "So much for a nice quiet dinner…" she muttered to herself.

A moment later Origami came out and quietly sat down beside her.

"How's Taiga?"

"She's still out. Kotori is with her now, there's nothing I can do there. Did you know this would happen?"

Kurumi shook her head, "It's exactly like I told you. The moment I mess with a time line, all bets are off. This never happened before. I meant it when I said that the last trick I had was for you. From here on out. I know as much as the rest of you. Except maybe I know a few of the players that you haven't met yet, but I have no idea what moves they'll make now."

"I see. So at what point will you be telling _them_ the truth?"

Kurumi huffed in annoyance, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Interesting. You tell me the truth of your connection to me. But not them. I don't know why I deserve to know more than they do."

"You'll figure that part out eventually as well," said Kurumi in a soft voice.

"You're assuming I intend to keep your secret. I'm honestly shocked that Kotori hasn't put it together yet."

"She probably has. That girl is anything but stupid. I think it's just something holding her back from realizing the truth. Or maybe she's just not admitting it to herself? Who knows. She's a complicated one."

Origami scoffed, "You don't have to tell me that. But I do have another question for you."

Kurumi pulled up her black ruffled dress a little so she could swing her feet up onto the deck and sit with her back to the pillar and face the white haired girl. "I suppose you deserve to have a few of your questions answered, go ahead."

Origami shook her head, "My questions are selfish ones I suppose."

"The first thing you did when you sat down here was look after your friend's best interests. I think you're allowed to be selfish after that. Isn't that sort of the definition of putting others before yourself?"

"I suppose it is. And I suppose that answers my first question. My second question is… Can you actually prove any of this? You know things about me that nobody else does. But is there any physical evidence of this?"

"If you're asking me if I have a hidden stash of selfies somewhere the answer is no. We weren't really into that kind of thing. I used to have to phone with a few pictures of us together, but over time I noticed that I vanished from the photos. In the end, everything about me vanished from my own phone. It was so frightening… But anyway, I don't want to talk about that. Our mutual interest was Kuydo. Beyond that, we actually have nothing in common. Hehe. I like to play video games, and I'm a complete and utter slob. You're a top student, and the single most disciplined person I've ever met."

"Then that takes us to my third question. What was the attraction?"

Kurumi looked down at the grass and away from Origami. "Heh… It's interesting. After all I've been through, all the pain I've endured. That single question hurt me more than any physical wound I've received. Even the ones I got from you in the past between then and now."

"You'll have to forgive me. Perhaps even asking you about this was insensitive. It was another life, one which I didn't lead and can't recall."

"What if there was a way you could? Would you even want to?"

Origami took careful note of everything about Kurumi as she spoke before considering her response, "No. I wouldn't."

"May I ask why not?"

"Because if Kotori doesn't get that privilege. Then I don't want it."

"That was the attraction. For me at least. Once you give your loyalty it's utterly unbreakable. Once you know what you need to protect you'll do whatever it takes. The only problem is that if someone knows how to exploit that about you, you fall for it every time."

"Is that what you're trying to do to me?" asked Origami with suspicion.

"If I were you'd never know it. I'm talking about Ellen right now."

"Point taken…"

"For you… I never knew what attracted you to me. I was so unlike your ideal partner in every which way. I never knew what it was I wanted to do with myself, or what it was I wanted to achieve in life. But you had your life completely mapped out. You knew where to go to college, what you wanted to study, and then you wanted to join the army. Later of course I found out you were already in the army. You just wanted to qualify to officially be a part of it. You wanted to earn it, not have it handed to you. Though it always bothered me why you only plotted out ten years worth of things you wanted to achieve."

Origami took two fistfulls of her school skirt.

"You never told me. I had to find that out by accident."

"I see… My final question then…"

Kurumi nodded and took a breath to brace herself for whatever was to come.

"Do you believe that this time you will have the outcome you're striving for? And if it isn't. What will you do? Try again?"

Kurumi bit her lip and closed her eye, "I can't give up. Not on them, not on you, not on anyone else. I'll do whatever I have to do."

"I suppose that answers my other question then. I believe I know what attracted me to you now. But I'm also going to hazard a guess that you didn't volunteer all this information because you want to rekindle your romance with me."

Kurumi shook her head, "No. I'm not the same person I was back then. All I have is a past that nobody will ever remember. I don't have a future. I sold that away for power. I don't have a soul anymore. I sold that away for more power. When my clock stops ticking, so do I. When I'm gone at the end of this. You won't even remember me, or this conversation. Absent my existence, your mind will just make up whatever it wants to fill in the blanks I leave. You might remember that you sat here tonight, but you won't know why. Just like when you see Splash, you didn't know where it came from. If he's even still there at all after I'm gone. That's what it means to give up my own time to fuel my power."

"And I always thought Spirits were selfish and evil beings who didn't care about the destruction they brought on our world…"

"You're not wrong. At least not about me. I am a selfish and evil being. That's what I had to become to do what I do…"

"I don't believe that."

Kurumi looked up at the moon in the sky, "You'll see for yourself sooner or later… There's still so much more you don't know about me. Mark my words. Just as I told you before that you'd be Origami to me again before I was done talking. You won't be able to look at me before this is all over."

Origami stood up into the garden and then stepped over to Kurumi, standing in her line of sight.

"The way the full moon lights your hair… It's breathtaking…"

"Kurumi… When you found out about what DEM did to me, what did you say to me?"

"I told you that it didn't matter. Ten years, twenty, a hundred. Every single moment with you is precious to me. I told you I'd rather spend ten years loving you with all my heart instead of spending the rest of my life regretting it if I let you out of my life. But that was before I came to really appreciate what a single moment in time is actually worth, then I realized how utterly selfish I was being to make you love me the way I did."

"After her first date with-"

"You can say it…"

"After her first date with your _father_ , I asked Ryouko why she was so aggressive with him. She told me that she only agreed to go because I'd never asked her for anything before, but I asked her for this. So she didn't want to disappoint me, so she set out with the intention of humoring me. She never expected to actually like him. She told me that if I ever met someone who inspires passion in me, that I should be as, if not more aggressive than she was. I understand now what she was talking about. Though her definition of aggressive isn't the same as mine."

"I don't know about that Origami. I remember one time you wore this set of doggy ears for me and the school swimsuit. You can be pretty aggressive when you know what you want."

"I must confess I had a few lingering doubts about the truth of your story until you mentioned that…"

Kurumi gave her a devilish grin, "One time I got myself a set of kitty ears, just to see what you'd do. Can you guess what you did?"

"Do I want to?"

Kurumi started belly laughing at her, "You chased me around your apartment… Barking at me!" she said loudly, but still discreetly.

"Somehow… I can imagine doing that…"

"It made me feel so warm inside to know that my precious Kuudere girlfriend had a secret wild side that only I ever got to see."

"And you believe that whatever we had before, isn't worth pursuing again because you have an expiration date?"

Kurumi nodded, "It isn't fair to you. I shouldn't even be telling you any of this. I wouldn't be talking to you like this if the other me kept her damn mouth shut."

"What if she was right? Perhaps it was for your own good."

"Pfft. Yeah. Sure. What good could possibly come of this?"

Origami took Kurumi's hand and pulled her down from the ledge until she was standing face to face and looking into her crimson eye under the bright moonlight. "Moments. Hours. Days. Weeks. Months. Years… Whatever precious time I have with you, I'd rather spend it loving you, than living my remaining time in regret for letting you out of my life."

Kurumi looked into Origami's blue eye, a single tear glistened in the moonlight, "You won't even remember me..."

"That's my problem. Maybe I will forget you. But I've seen evidence of the fact that this feeling I have for you will not just fade away. That even after you've tampered with time itself, I'm still able to feel something in my heart for you in spite of everything. If you don't believe that, you need only look at the void you've left in this household for proof. You've faded from every photograph except the one. In every other photo there's an empty space where you once stood. When I think of my own life now, I can also identify almost every single instance where something happened that you should have been there for. I can't remember why, but they were happy moments."

"That's not possible Origami…"

"Why won't you admit it to yourself? Whatever this power of yours is taking from you, it can't take everything away. I did not just take up the practice of Kyudo on a whim. I did not choose to sit alone and feel happy and content at that cafeteria table for the whole first year I was at that school before she started sitting with me. Kotori does not just see me as a big sister because we share a common tragedy. It's because we each share a common love. And now I know that K E is not Kotori Emiya."

The tears streamed down her cheek. "Damn your stalkerish level of attention to detail…"

"Perhaps one day I'll look back on this moment and wonder why I was just standing here like I am now. But when I do, I'll remember that I was happy here in this moment. That will be what stays with me long after the memory of Kurumi Emiya has faded from my mind."

* * *

Kotori wiped her eyes and looked out the window again, she blinked a few times as well. Unable to believe what she was seeing as Origami and Kurumi had their lips locked in a tender kiss.

"They don't waste any time do they?" she asked herself before turned away to check on her Aunt and give them privacy.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Fujimura house, Shirou called out his swords and brought out his battle clothing while Tohka held Sandalphon but didn't bring out her Astral Dress as per Shirou's instructions. It was a gamble, but he was betting on the fact that it took more than just the sword to call attention to the Spirit.

The front gate to their compound had been blown apart but there was no sign of an explosive device used on it. There were a few dead guards littered about the front gate. One had his throat slit, the others had holes through them big enough to fit one's arm through, another poor bastard was little more than a puddle.

"What could have done this Shirou?" asked Tohka with a hand over her face, her eyes shaking in horror at what she was seeing.

Shirou looked around. There were a number of shell casing littered about, and blood stains where some people had obviously died but there were no bodies to be found. "I don't know Tohka. I've never seen anything like this before. Stay close to me and keep on your guard, whomever or whatever did this might still be here,"

Tohka nodded and tightened her grip on Sandalphon while Shirou did the same with Kanshou and Bakuya.

Once inside the house, Shirou knelt down over the body of old man Fujimura and gently closed the man's eyes.

"Taiga saw this… Why did she have to see this?" Shirou spoke mournfully.

Tohka grit her teeth and snarled, "Who does this?!"

"I don't know. I just don't know. It doesn't make any sense. It couldn't have been a rival gang. The Fujimura's were too widely respected for anyone to make a move on them like this. Yes they were-" Shirou bit his tongue and sighed deeply, "They just didn't deserve this. Nobody deserves this."

"What should we do now?"

Shirou went over to one of the dead bodyguards and pulled out his phone, he then used it to call emergency services. Before they could ask for any of his information he hung up the call and wiped his fingerprints off the device before leaving it beside the man.

"There's nothing we can do here. Let's just go home."

After coming back out of the house Tohka and Shirou walked side by side towards the splintered gate when there was an unidentifiable noise. Tohka hit the ground. Shirou turned around and raised his sword to block an incoming projectile which broke one of his swords. He quickly replaced it and blocked two more shots. The shooter was on the roof, in the darkness. He couldn't see them, but he could make out the gleam of their weapon's barrel in the moonlight.

"Tohka?" he asked the woman who was slowly pushing herself up off the ground. "Are you alright?"

"It's not so bad. I can still fight!" she said while holding the wound inflicted on her left shoulder.

Shirou stood protectively between Tohka and the shooter. "Then get ready."

"Adonai Melek!"

After Tohka conjured her Astral Dress she stood ready with her sword held out to her right, her left arm useless to her after being shot.

A moment later the shots resumed, Tohka raised her shield to block them. When the Gunfire ceased Shirou called out into the darkness. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Who the hell am I? That's what you ask me?" he heard Kurumi's voice yell back from the darkness before she stepped out into the moonlight and then down off the rooftop, walking towards him with her pistol pointed at them and her rifle held behind her back.

Shirou clenched his teeth, "I should have known better than to trust you…"

"You were never very good at that. It's just your rotten luck. Rather than ask why everyone from your future wants to kill you, you just keep going with your selfish and hypocritical ideals without sparing a moment to think about what they might do to you or the people you love."

Shirou's grips on his swords tightened.

"I'd love to have a lengthy dialogue in which I explain exactly why I'm doing this, but I just don't have the time…"

"Who the hell are you?!" he asked her again.

"I am the shadow on which I stand!" she yelled furiously before squeezing the trigger of her pistol which then fired a shot that utterly destroyed Tohka's shield making the spirit cry out in agony as she fell down onto the ground.

"Tohka!"

Before he could let his concern for her overtake him Kurumi brought out her rifle and started firing both weapons at Shirou.

"Rho Aias!"

* * *

Kurumi and Origami shared a laugh over another amusing story when Kurumi suddenly stopped laughing and tensed up with her teeth tightly clenched.

"What is it Kurumi?"

"Unbelievable… How could she… How did she even..." Kurumi picked up her rifle and pistol while standing up. "I'm sorry Origami. I have to go now. I have to stop myself from doing something stupid. Keep an eye out and protect her. Will you do that?"

Origami stood up and grabbed Kurumi by the arm to stop her leaving, "What the hell is happening?"

Kurumi shook her head, "Just one more thing… If I don't come back for some reason…" she then leaned over to speak into Origami's ear for a moment.

Origami froze up and started looking at Kurumi with shaky eyes.

"Don't forget it. I can't prove it yet. You just have to believe me that it's true."

Kurumi then took off running towards a dark corner of the courtyard, but before she vanished into the shadows she had one last thing to yell, "I love you!"

* * *

Kurumi continued firing at Shirou who narrowed his eyes, he traced a set of four swords above him and launched them at Kurumi who started running backwards while still firing her pistol at him.

Shirou traced his falchions again and started running at Kurumi while she was still bringing her rifle up at him. She fired wildly at him but he managed to block the shots with his sword, this time the swords remained intact.

 _Whatever special shots she's using, she probably has to load them each time. Her standard shots aren't all that strong._

Kurumi started running backwards to get distance from him but he was quickly catching up. She leaped up onto the rooftop while tossing a gem at him which exploded on the ground in front of him and forced him to stop chasing her. Giving her the precious time she needed to load another gem into her pistol.

"Time Alter, Double Accel!" she said loudly while loading a gem into her pistol and then using the ramrod to drive it in.

Shirou threw his swords at her while she aimed the weapon and fired.

"Rho Aias!"

The swords cut into Kurumi's sides while the shot impacted the Aias and shattered three of its seven layers before he let it vanish again.

 _I can't keep guzzling mana like this..._

But Kurumi wasn't done yet, a moment later she got back and leapt down from the rooftop to the ground, the swords barely missing her on their return. Shirou caught the blades and started running at her.

"Affix Bayonets!" she yelled.

The two then started clashing blade to blade with Kurumi occasionally shooting at him with the pistol or rifle.

 _How the hell is she fighting like this with a rifle and pistol?!_

"Why are you doing this?! I thought you wanted to help us! To protect Kotori!"

"Grrrah!" she yelled in response while swinging at him with her Rifle's bladed end, on the come back she ended up with her pistol pointed at his head. Shirou knocked the pistol away with his sword as she pulled the trigger and then took a second swing at her toso. She backed away and was only just grazed by it.

"I can't be killed. Not by you. Not by her!" she yelled before going to try and impale him with her rifle.

 _She's one of the copies. What's the real her doing right now? I left her at home with everyone… I gotta finish this fight quickly! Tohka's still out of it. I have enough for plenty of projections. As long as I don't have to keep falling back on the Aias I should be in good shape here. This should be an easy fight. But her skill is unreal, and the wounds she's taken aren't slowing her down at all._

After a few more exchanges Kurumi jumped backwards and started pelting Shirou with gunfire from both her weapons. Shirou used his swords as a shield to stop the bullets as he closed the distance. "Alright. I'm really getting sick of this now! Trace on!" he said before launching two swords from above him at Kurumi which forced her to run forward to evade and helped close the distance.

"That's it. Come to Daddy," he said with his swords waiting.

"Time Alter, Square Accel!" she yelled again and the suddenly Shirou found himself very much on the defensive before being cut three times by her blades which he could barely dodge in time.

The next thing he knew he was kneeling on the ground with a severed tendon in his leg and had a musket pointed at his face. Kurumi was bleeding out of her eye, nose, ears, sides, and breathing heavily, "Who's your daddy now?"

Shirou grit his teeth.

"I won't let you screw things up ever again! This time there won't be room for any mistakes! Don't worry about Kotori though, I'll keep protecting her."

As she squeezed the trigger her hand was suddenly blown off her body and she jumped back to stare in the direction the shot came from.

"What have I told you about monologuing?" asked the original Kurumi while walking out of a dark space in the Fujimura's yard. "It's what got you in trouble the last time you pulled a stunt like this. I really thought we were over this beautiful. What changed?"

"What the hell is going on here?!" he yelled at both of the girls.

"Why do you always ask questions to which you already know the answer beautiful?" asked the wounded Kurumi with her normal sultry tone of voice.

"It seems I don't always know what's going on in this head of mine. Your plan was good. With all the copies I had to bring out of the shadow I was spread pretty thin. My full attention focused on keeping an eye on DEM. But now I also know why you provoked me into having that conversation with Origami today. It almost worked. I was too distracted to notice what you did here. But then you had to pick a fight with him of all people. That was where your plan fell apart. At the rate you started guzzling my mana did you really think I wouldn't notice it?"

"What makes you think I didn't count on you showing up here?"

Kurumi raised her eyebrow and held out her hand at her other self, but the other Kurumi grabbed onto Shirou and held her Bayoneted pistol to his throat, ready to slice it. "If you want to pull me back in, you'll have to send him in too. And we both know what'll happen if you do."

"I made you… And I will unmake you! You've screwed with me for the last time!"

"What are you going to do about it? Shoot me and you'll risk killing him. And it's pointless since you can't kill me no matter how hard you've tried!"

Kurumi rolled her eyes at the other her. "What the hell do you even hope to achieve? You're just a flawed copy of me created with Zafkiel's magic! A moment from my past bound to serve me as nothing more than a familiar."

Shirou raised an eyebrow at that statement.

 _She's not even talking to the other one anymore… She's being so specific about how her copies work though… I understand. She wants me to use_ _ **that**_ _on her. Heh. Alright then._

"I'm more than just a copy of you beautiful. I'm a perfect recreation of you from the exact moment you were at your very best! Have a little pride," she said almost salaciously.

"I suppose it's only natural for you to think of yourself as me at my best. Your existence depends on that flawed perspective. You can't break the rules. So why don't you just fall in line again?"

"You're right beautiful. I can't break the rules. But I do happen to know someone who can," she answered her other self with the biggest grin she could muster.

"Trace on!" yelled Shirou.

"Oh no! **DON'T DO IT!** " yelled Kurumi in desperation.

But it was too late. Shirou had already impaled the clone with Rule Breaker.

The original Kurumi dropped her guns and covered her yellow eye with both her hands. She bellowed out an ear piercing scream of agony and horror as her Astral Dress vanished from her body and she finally collapsed naked onto the ground.

Shirou quickly stood up as he traced another set of his swords and took a swing at the exact spot where the other Kurumi had been standing not an instant ago, but she was gone. No trace of her left.

When he turned around again, the original Kurumi was still lying unconscious, he looked around and saw that Tohka, at least, very thankfully, was starting to wake up and look around.

"What did I miss?" she asked curiously.

* * *

The next morning, Kotori peeked into the room where she saw Origami was still sitting beside Kurumi.

Even though there was nothing anyone could do for the unconscious girl except find her some clothes and make her comfortable. Kotori had tried to encourage her to get some sleep, she even brought an extra futon into the room so her friend could sleep there.

But Origami wouldn't sleep, she couldn't move from her spot. She sat patiently and watched the other girl sleep.

"Origami? Would you like some breakfast?"

Origami shook her head but said nothing.

"You need to eat. You can't help her if you don't take care of yourself. She'd be the first to tell you that."

"I will eat when she eats. Not a moment before."

Kotori sighed and stepped into the room where she sat down beside Origami and took her into a hug. "You can't take things to such extremes. I know you're worried about her. I know you care about her."

"It's not just that Kotori. Yes. It's part of it. But not all of it. She told me things last night. Things she trusts me not to repeat so I can't. All I can tell you is that she's given up a lot more than a night's sleep and a small meal for all our sakes."

"Technically you two have only just met. You realize that right?"

"I can't explain it. Both because I don't know how, and because she trusted me not to."

Kotori nodded, "Alright then. I'll set aside some food for the two of you to eat later. I'm sure she'll be pretty damn hungry when she-"

Kurumi picked that moment begin stirring in her sleep and both girl watched her with held breaths.

A moment later she shot up in bed and started waving her hand infront of her face. "No… No… No!"

She then quickly stood up and put her hand in the air, "Elohim!" She lowered her hand and looked at it for a moment before screaming at the top of her lungs, "Zaaaaaaaafkiiiiiiiiiiiiel!"

Kurumi then fell to her knees while holding a hand over the eye which used to have her clock inside of it. "This is impossible…"

Kotori and Origami slowly moved over beside her. "Kurumi… Your Spirit Powers..." said Kotori in a gentle and cautious voice.

"Yes. They're gone…" she said through tightly clenched teeth. "That bitch! Somehow, she figured out a way to steal Zafkiel from me! I'm going to kill her!" she stood up and spat loudly at one of the shadows in the room. **"Do you hear me?! I'm going to kill you!"**

* * *

 **Edits:** I made a small change to to the explanation Kurumi gave on how she adjusts Origami's bullets. One reviewer pointed out my mistake and thankfully I managed to come up with a work around that didn't require me changing the whole scene.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** I noticed in my traffic stats that a lot of people skipped chapter 13 and only read chapter 14. I suppose since I posted both chapters at once a lot of people just jumped to the last chapter. So if you missed it, or some of 14 didn't make complete sense to you, that's because 13 and 14 are actually one chapter that I split into two. You should consider going back and reading that if you missed it. =)

Now let's begin our date!

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

Taiga sat at the dining table with a cup of tea in both of her hands. Shirou cringed at the shouting coming from Kurumi but he couldn't bring himself to leave Taiga to address the issue, instead trusting Kotori to handle it. Tohka sat beside Taiga with a hand around her shoulders in a comforting gesture.

Shirou looked back to Taiga and grimaced at her expression. He was used to her being energetic and full of life. But her eyes were sullen, downcast, and devoid of anything resembling life, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Shirou…" she said softly.

"I'm here Fuji-nee."

"I need to make arrangements for them… For all of them… I… I don't know if-"

"It's alright. I'll be right here by your side through everything. Leave the arrangements to me, I'll take care of everything. I'll take care of you too. I think you should stay here for the time being. After that, we'll discuss the long term."

 _I have to send Kotori away… But I can't send Taiga away there, and I can't turn her away at a time like this… Damn it all. I'll have to figure out something else to keep her safe._

"I don't… I don't know what to do…" she said softly.

"For now. You're going to stay here with us. We'll look after everything. So you don't need to worry about anything. Right Shirou?"

"Yes Tohka. That's exactly right."

"Thank you Shirou… I'm sorry to impose. I know I've been a pain to you, and I'm sorr-"

"If you finish that sentence I'm going to be really mad! I growl at you sometimes but you've never been unwelcome here! You're my big sister for god's sake! A man looks after his family! You're my family! If you want to go back home after things have settled, do that. But if you want to come live here with us, I welcome you. That's how this works."

"Thank you…" she said while gently setting down her tea before breaking into tears again.

Shirou took a deep breath as he stood up and went over beside Taiga where he and Tohka both hugged her.

It was not a moment later before Kotori came over to softly kiss the top of Taiga's head and then hugged her as well. "We all love you Aunt Taiga, and we're here for you."

* * *

Later that morning Kotori had her bags packed and was standing in the living room, looking around at everything for one last time. "Hey Pops? I never thought about this before but, what were you and mom doing in front of this hospital? Is this the one you brought me to after that time?"

Shirou walked over and leaned down a little to look carefully, "Can't be, your mom was still wearing her ribbons here. She gave them to you on that day remember?"

"Yes. I do remember. How'd I miss that? So? When was this?"

"Hmm… It looks like this was a few years after we were married. That's when she started doing her hair like that again sometimes. Anyway, she was the one who chose the pictures to put on display here, all I got to do was enthusiastically tell her how much I liked her choices."

Kotori and Shirou had a chuckle about that while Origami looked over at Kurumi who winced at the exchange between them. She stepped over and gently took a hold of her hand. "I still remember," she said to her in a very low voice.

Kurumi's lips curved into a very small hint of a smile at Origami's words.

"Come on. We still need to go get Origami's stuff, get some things for Kurumi, and then make the train," he said before gently petting Kotori on the head.

"I still don't think sending me away with them is the right move," said Kurumi. "Even without my spirit powers I'm still more useful to you here! If the other me makes a move you won't know how to deal with her but I do!"

Shirou turned around and looked at Kurumi straight into the eye, "If I wanted an opinion, I'd ask for it. This isn't up for debate. You're going with them and that's the end of the discussion."

"What are you my father now?!" barked Kurumi while stepping forward.

Shirou also started walking forward until the two were in each other's personal space with their eyes locked. Kotori could swear she saw sparks flying between them as they prepared to butt heads.

"If I ever had a biological daughter I somehow just know she'd probably be exactly like you!"

Origami and Kotori palmed their faces at the immaturity in the room. Though one clearly had a greater appreciation of the irony in their words.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?!"

"Because you do exactly the right things to piss me off the most! You're as stupid and thick headed as I am and as much of a know at all as my wife!"

"But I do know it all and I can help you damn it! If you were my father I'd be kicking your ass on my mother's behalf right now!"

"We've already established you can't kick my ass!"

"Oh really?" she smirked while crossing her arms over her chest. "I must have been watching the wrong fight last night because I clearly saw me wipe the floor with you," she said with her normal tone and a classy grin.

"If you want a rematch you can have one!"

" **Shadow port!"**

" **Trace on!"**

That was when Origami and Kotori quickly rushed in to break it up.

Kotori grabbed her father tightly around the waist, "Pops! No! Stop!"

"Kurumi you can't do this!" said Origami while doing the same.

"Let me go Origami! I'll blow my nose at him and then fart in his general direction!" yelled Kurumi while waving her pistol around.

"Monty Python?! Seriously! You have no original material?!" he spat back at her.

"Shut up and fight me! Or I shall taunt you a second time!" she yelled but couldn't help the smile and laugh which accompanied it.

"You and what army?!" yelled Shirou while waving a frying pan.

Kurumi stopped and looked at Shirou, then she started scratching the back of her head while laughing at him, "What the hell were you going to do with that? Spank me?" asked Kurumi while falling into a fit of laughter.

Shirou looked at the frying pan he'd traced and scratched the back of his head as well. "We all know you probably need a good spanking!" he said while also laughing.

Kotori and Origami looked between the two of them and sighed with relief as the tension left the room.

"You two are really eerily similar in some of your mannerisms and body language…" observed Kotori.

"What the hell is going on here?!" yelled Taiga and Tohka furiously as they entered the living room in bathrobes.

"What are you doing with that pan?! And why does she have a gun?!" asked Taiga incredulously.

The entire room had a laugh at the situation leaving the two women in even more confusion.

* * *

Ryouko gave Origami a tight hug at the train station. "I love you so much! Please take care of yourself and be safe."

"I love you too Ryouko. You be safe as well."

Meanwhile Shirou held Kotori tightly, "Give Akiha my best regards. If Shiki gives you a hard time call me and I'll give you some good material to use against him."

"I don't think I'll need it, it's you he can't stand," said Kotori with a laugh.

After the two split up Shirou looked at Kurumi who was standing in a set of borrowed jeans from Origami and one of Tohka's t-shirts with her arms crossed over her chest and an irate glare directed back at him. It was so very much like the angry stares Rin used to give him, but something about the eye patch and the hair flowing over to hide her missing eye just sent an extra chill down his spine.

 _I swear, she's like Rin as a horror movie villain. I'll be damned if I let a teenage girl unnerve me like this._

"And you!" he said to her without losing his nerve. "Anything happens to Kotori or Origami I'll hold you personally responsible!"

"If you only knew how stupid you sound to my ears right now… Anything happens to either of them it was only because I was already dead," she muttered before picking up her backpack and climbing onto the train.

* * *

Aboard the train, Kotori, being the shortest among them needed some help from the two slightly taller girls to get her bag into the overhead compartment, they each lifted one of her bags up into it before they all took a seat.

"So Kurumi, what's in that bag you had in the locker at the station?" asked Kotori after sitting down opposite the two in their small compartment.

Kurumi snickered, "Emergency supplies. Every time I go to a different city in a new time loop I stash a few bags here and there in case of emergencies. A habit I picked up in the early days before I developed my shadow porting technique. I like to always have backup plans in the event of the unforeseen."

Origami was seated beside Kurumi and held her hand out to the other girl, "May I have some of those emergency supplies?" she asked in her normal flat tone of voice.

With a grin, Kurumi handed her bag of cookies.

"Seriously?" asked Kotori when she saw what came out of the bag.

"What did you expect?" asked Kurumi before she handed Kotori a lollipop.

Kotori sighed and accepted the candy treat. "I have no idea, but I should have known _you_ would stash junk food around incase of emergencies."

Kurumi then pulled out a hand held gaming console and grinned at Kotori who facepalmed.

Instead of pulling it out though, she simply put it back into the bag and pulled out a bag of chips for herself to snack on.

"I assume you gave me this because you know what they do to me? And because you don't know one of my bags is filled to the brim with the contents of that bucket you gave me."

"Lollipop lollipop oh lolli lolli lolli lollipop…" Kurumi sang before sticking a finger into her mouth to make a popping sound with it.

"How did you know about that?" she asked with an aggressive voice while she unwrapped the lollipop. "Nevermind. I probably don't even want to know anymore," she said before putting the lollipop into her mouth.

Kurumi grinned mischievously, "Instead of asking questions to which I am certain you already know the answers, let's focus instead on figuring out what we're going to do. I hope I'm correct in assuming neither of you intend to treat this as a vacation?"

Kotori and Origami both nodded.

"So then," started Kotori in a hardened sounding voice. "Let's start by determining our resources. Specifically starting with you. You got your Angel stolen. So what can you still bring to the table?"

Origami raised an eyebrow at Kotori, "I've noticed that your personality and body language change when you have one of those treats in your mouth, but I never attached any significance to it before now. Could you explain it please?"

"Sorry Senpai. Welcome to the world of Magecraft to put it simply-"

"To actually put it simply. Self-hypnosis between a public persona and a mage persona. Kotori is just a little spitfire in either state of mind and it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference," explained Kurumi.

"Yeah… That. But I would have-"

"Given all the details? She's not a mage but she knows about magecraft from her time at DEM," explained Kurumi.

"Right… Sorry… I didn't mean to patronize."

Origami shook her head, "It's alright. I know about the existence of magecraft. But I am not well versed in all of its applications. I trained to fight Spirits, not Mages."

"Anyway. To answer your question Kotori, I'll only tell you that my abilities are diminished, but I'm still more than capable of finding that other me and ripping Zafkiel back out of her. There's only one thing I'm worried about that you both need to be aware of. I have no idea right now what effect this will have on me. I can't see my timeflow anymore."

"Based on what she told me when she was teaching me, and what I've gathered from your talk with Origami, using your own time to fuel your power erases more of your existence. But since you aren't bound by 'normal' time anymore it doesn't affect you personally, but it does affect the world. Correct?"

"Correct. You're catching on quick. Now. If she starts guzzling my time like there's no tomorrow… Then there won't be a tomorrow for me. But if she's conservative and smart with it like I know she will be, I won't have any problems."

"How did this even happen in the first place?" asked Origami.

"I have no idea. All I know is she wanted him to use Rule Breaker on her. I thought at that moment that if he did, it would destroy her. Then I realized it was what she wanted, and I know that death isn't what she wants. She's like me in every way. The goal is what matters most to her. She just thinks her way is the best way because she came from a moment in my past when I still thought I could only solve this one way."

"What way is that?" asked Kotori.

Kurumi sighed and slouched back to make herself comfortable, "My goal was to travel back in time far enough to fight and defeat the First Spirit. The one who empowered all of the spirits. I figured that if I did that, and stopped any of this from ever happening at all, I could save absolutely everyone."

"What went wrong?" asked Origami.

"I got my ass kicked, but soooo good. You just can't comprehend what kind of being the First Spirit is. The power, the presence… I gave it everything I had and I was just an annoying fly to it. I knew there had to be a way, but it was just beyond my own power. Beyond any power I know of."

Kotori nodded, "Without Zafkiel, just what are you still capable of doing? Sorry. But I need to know what we have so we can strategize."

Kurumi smiled at the younger girl, "Leave the strategizing to me. I might have taken a pretty serious blow, but I'm still stronger than you on your best day. Without Zafkiel my mana will be severely limited to the normal capacity of any other magus. So I can't Shadow Walk, or Port myself around. But I can still bring out objects of mine from my shadow, like my guns and gems. She can't stop me from doing that. Not unless she comes here in person to fight me, and I know she won't do that yet."

"What makes you so certain?" asked Origami.

"Because I know myself. Right now, she's completely focused on self empowerment. It's the nature of our magic. She's a perfect copy of me, but that doesn't give her a perfect copy of everything about me. She'll have to build up her own arsenal since she could only ever use what resources I gave her. She'll need to get her own gems, make her own copies… There's also one other thing I can do which she can't that will severely limit her magecraft. She'll need to find a work around for it."

"What's that?" asked Kotori.

Kurumi shook her head, "It's not important right now. The point is, we have time. So we need to use it to strengthen ourselves to fight back. I'm not worried about you though Kotori. You're making excellent progress with your skills. I'm worried about Origami right now."

"Explain."

"Well… You're no mage. I used to teach you a bit of this and that but we never got very far, and the time we have isn't sufficient. So we need to find a way to empower you if you want to fight with us, which I assume you do?"

"You assume correctly. And there's no reason to be concerned. Ryouko told me she'll handle smuggling a pair of units out for us when she leaves the army."

"Ryouko leaving the army… That's never happened before… Very interesting."

"Dare I ask?" Origami wondered out loud.

"Doesn't really matter. I'm glad those two are hitting it off, I just hope she doesn't regret this. Anyway. I need to get my powers back. That's my first priority, but I can't take action until Ciel arrives with Nia."

"Who?" asked Kotori and Origami at the same time.

"Oh… That sort of slipped out. Alright. Just don't tell your father Kotori. I still want to see the look on his face when he sees Nia's ability. Trust me. It'll be worth it to you," she said with a wink.

"Nia Honjou is the person I call the 'Second Spirit', her power is Knowledge. Her angel Rasiel can get her any information on any topic. Literally. It's like having God's Brain included in your Google search results. She tips the balance back in our favor."

Kurumi held up her finger to keep them from interrupting as she knew they were about to.

"Yes. There is a big catch to that. DEM also has access to her power because they took half of her crystal away from her. She has to spend most of her time blocking them from using it. The good news is, we can use her power. The bad news is that while we're using it, so can they. They can't see what we're doing, but they can take the opportunity to use it for their own agenda. So we have to use it carefully."

Kotori's eyes widened, "That's pretty damn amazing."

Origami looked at the dark haired girl, "You intend to use this to locate your other self?"

Kurumi grinned at her, "You catch on quick."

"Do you know yet how you intend to take back your Spirit power?"

"I'm hoping Nia will be able to help me figure that out as well. I need to first understand how she did it in the first place."

"May I ask how you obtained those powers in the first place?"

Kurumi bit her lips and leaned back as she considered it, she also took note of Kotori's expenat look. "I can't reveal that. I'm sorry. Believe me, having the two of you look at me like that is breaking what's left of my rotten heart. But I can't tell you. Not yet at least."

"Next question then… I don't suppose you have anything in that shadow of yours we can give to Yoshino as a present? I feel a little bad about this but we didn't have time to get her anything before we left Fuyuki and I thought it would be nice if we could-"

"Don't worry I've got us covered on that. Don't forget I was taking care of Yoshino for a while before she met all of you. I love that girl too."

"So now I know how you knew Origami. But what about me? Were Origami and I best friends as well back then?"

Kurumi looked at Origami who was looking at her curiously to see what she'd say, then she looked back to Kotori and smiled, "Yes. You two were very good friends even back then. That never changes. We were all in the Archery club together. And we all sat at that table together."

"Hmm. So the club was our link to each other? But that doesn't explain why-"

"Kotori-chan. Does it matter? We're all here. We're all together now. Instead of asking questions about the past, why don't we focus on the present for a little while? It's been a very, very, very, long time since the three of us could be together like this. At least for me. I'd like to make the most of it. Understand?"

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that. I have so many questions for you."

"And even if I answered them all. What would it matter? The only thing that matters is this. Right here. Right now. Time can be one of the kindest forces in the universe. Or one of the cruelest. I've lost count of the number of loops I've gone through since the last time I could sit next to Origami like this," Kurumi took a hold of the other girl's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Or have a conversation with you about anything normal," she said to Kotori.

Kotori looked down, suddenly feeling ashamed of the number of questions she was asking.

"I still have her memory of the night you two spent cleaning my apartment. Playing games, discussing magecraft. You don't know how happy it made me feel to be able to spend time with you like that. Even if it was by proxy. Moments like these examples are what makes life worth living, more than you'll ever know. So please Kotori-chan. Stop asking so many questions and just enjoy the time you've been given."

Kotori sighed and nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry."

* * *

When the train finally arrived in Misaki later that day, Kotori was the first to step outside the train station to find the person who was waiting to receive them. It didn't take her long to spot the smart casually dressed dark haired man with glasses.

"Uncle Shiki!" yelled Kotori while running up to the man's waiting arms where he gave her a big hug.

"Uncle Shiki huh? Nice to see you too Kotori, I've missed you," he said hugging her back warmly.

The two other girls waiting behind her patiently before she introduced them.

"These are the other two my father mentioned. This is Origami Tobiichi, and Kurumi Tokisaki."

The two girls bowed to the man, "Good day to you Tohno-san," the two said.

"Good day to you both as well, welcome to Misaki," his eyes lingered on Kurumi for a long moment though, "You seem familiar somehow. Have we met before?"

Kurumi looked back at him with a thoughtful finger on her chin, "No. No I don't think so. Maybe I just have a familiar face?"

Shiki shook his head, "I must be mistaken then. Anyway. I'm Shiki Tohno. As long as you're in Misaki City, I'll be looking after you. If there's anything any of you need at anytime, never hesitate to come to me with it and I'll see that it's done."

"Thank you Tohno-san. Shirou Emiya told us a lot of good things about you. It's good to see that they're all true. He said to give you his best regards, and that he's looking forward to the next time he can see you in person," said Kurumi with a happy smile.

"That's sweet of you to say Tokisaki, but you don't have to lie for him. That man hates my guts. But he's always welcome here regardless of how he feels about me," said Shiki with a cheerful smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Fuyuki. Shirou and Ryouko were at work near the shed.

"Shirou! Hand me the adjustable wrench will you?"

"Don't want a socket wrench to make it easier?" he asked while handing her the tool she requested.

"That's not what I need it for," she said before the sound of hammering came from under the old Mercedes.

"Why didn't you just ask for a hammer?"

"Because I don't need a hammer, I need a wrench. I know what I'm doing! Hand me that lubricant spray now!"

Shirou rolled his eyes and handed her the spray can.

That was when Tohka came out with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of water for them. "I thought you'd both be thirsty by now," she said while setting the tray down on a work table they'd set up next to the car.

"Thank you so much Tohka. You're a lifesaver."

"Hey Shirou. You've been trying to fix this car for years now, right?" asked Tohka while looking at the old Mercedes.

"Yes. I have been."

"But you can do Magecraft that would let you find out exactly what's wrong with it so you can fix it, and you can also do magecraft that would let you make everything better and like new again right?"

"Not quite. But close enough. What's your question though?"

"Why don't you just do that instead of all of this?" she said with a gesture at the disassembled engine parts on the work table.

"Kotori keeps asking me that. Rin kept asking me that too. The simple truth is that I just don't want to. I wanted to fix this thing up properly."

"Fix it properly huh?" remarked Ryouko from under the car. "Hopefully you can also drive it better than the previous owner! This poor thing has been under a lot of stress. No wonder it just quit on them!"

"It belonged to my father's wife. She died in the Fourth Holy Grail War a little bit before he adopted me."

"Ahh shit. I'm sorry I didn't mean to disrespect her," said Ryouko while sliding herself out from under the car.

"It's alright. You didn't mean to," he said while offering her his hand to help her up, which she gratefully accepted and let him pull her up.

"The good news is, I found the problem at last. The bad news is… I don't know where we're going to find the parts we need," she said while gesturing to all the damaged or worn out components on the work table before adding the part she just removed to the collection.

Ryouko was about to scratch her head when she realized that her hand was covered in oil and refrained. "I have a guy in Tokyo who can probably find us these things…"

"But I'm guessing it'll cost me?"

Ryouko shook her head, "Not as much as you're probably thinking. My best guesstimate is a little over a thousand Euros for everything we're looking at here. Could be more, could be less."

"So why don't you want to use Magecraft to fix these things?"

"Because it feels wrong to do it. That's all. My father never talked about his wife or daughter to me. Though I found out much later he tried his hardest to go get his daughter back from the Einzbern family."

"You call her your father's daughter. Not your sister. Why?" asked Ryouko.

Shirou crossed his arms and shook his head, "Because my greatest failure in the Grail War was not being able to save her. I have no right to call her my sister. I didn't even know she was his daughter back then. I wanted to save her, but I just couldn't. I'd rather not discuss it in anymore detail than that."

"I see. So that's why you want to fix this car properly. Because it was the world of Magecraft that got them all killed? Is that correct?" asked Ryouko.

"It's correct enough. Kotori thinks of Illiya as her Aunt, and she thinks of Irisviel as her Grandmother. She studies their magecraft all the time, she says it makes her feel connected to them. She can't recreate any of their mysteries, but she tries. Rin and I always went out to their castle out in the forest. I still go there with Kotori now, on the anniversary of Illya's death. One day Rin and I, before we adopted Kotori. We took a look around what was left of the castle. We found old writings, books, and this car. I found out Irisviel kept a journal for a while during the war. She thought nobody would read it. But I did. That's how I know this car was her's. My father got it for her and she treasured it. Then I found out their servant in that war was Saber. The same Saber…"

He took a deep breath, "I wish she'd told me about that. But for whatever reason she never did. But there was a moment when I told her my name that she was surprised by it. I didn't pay it much attention at the time because my mind was elsewhere. Apparently, Irisviel thought as highly of her as I did, they became very good friends in the time they knew each other. Her fondest memories she said, were of Saber taking her out to see the city, and of sitting with her in this car and driving it around. She noted that the only time Saber ever showed genuine fear, was inside this car while she was driving. Haha. Imagine that?"

Shiou turned to Tohka and smiled, "Now I have an opportunity to do for you what Saber did for Irisviel by showing you this world. I suppose that's part of why I do it anyway." Shirou took another breath and turned to the car with a serene smile, "So yeah. Kotori studies their mysteries. And I work on this car. Family. It's the most important thing. This is all I can do for them though. I can fix up this car, and make sure it's enjoyed as much as Irisviel enjoyed it."

Ryouko smiled brightly, "That's a sad, but also nice story. Now I'm even more proud to help you work on this car. So Tohka. You like learning about stuff. Wanna learn a bit about cars while we're at this?"

Tohka nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! Yes! I'd love to!"

* * *

Kotori was unpacking her things into the guest room she'd been given when there was a knock at the door and it slowly creeped open, "May I come in?" asked Yoshino.

"Of course you can. This is your house you know," she said with a smile.

"Yes. But it's not polite to just walk into your room," she said quietly.

"This is your house too Cousin Kotori!" Yoshinon loudly added.

Kotori went over and gently pat the puppet. "Awww! Who's a good rabbit?"

"Yay! Pet me! Praise me! Praise me!"

Yoshino giggled a little at that, "If you need anything, please ask me. I'd like to help you in anyway I can. You were so kind to me while I was with you, and I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't met all of you. I owe you so very much."

Kotori smiled warmly before giving Yoshino a tight hug. "Thank you Yoshino. I appreciate it. But we're family, so you don't owe me anything. We help each other out whenever one of us needs it. So the same always goes for you. If you just want to talk, hang out, or do anything, I'm here for you too."

"Thank you Kotori."

"Nothing to thank me for. So tell me," she said while letting go and going back to her unpacking. "Are you happy? You know, being here."

"Oh yes! Everyone's been so nice. Arcueid always meets me after school to show me around the city and teach me about things outside. Shiki helps me with my homework whenever I need it and Aunt Akiha teaches me about everything she knows about the family and the 'world'. Oh, and I also made a friend in school."

"Awww. That's so nice! Who's this friend you made?"

"His name's-"

"Uh oh. It's a he. Alright. Sit down. We have to talk in a lot of detail now."

* * *

Kurumi had left her backpack in the middle of the room and fell down into the bed where she lay flat on her back to stare up at the ceiling. There she remained unmoving for a long while. Her mind in constant turmoil and she sorted through recent events over and over looking for every exact moment she miscalculated or let her clone out of her sight and for how long.

 _Damn it… Damn it… Damn it! I wish I had Origami's photographic memory. Where the hell did I screw up? It could have been anywhere. At any time. Every moment I was distracted was another moment she could have plotted. Years and years must have gone into that. How long's it even been since the last time she tried to kill him? I can't even remember… Damn it all! I've lost all track of time… I got sloppy! I should have realized something was up when she insisted on spending so much time with her this time around. I should have realized it when Kotori was concerned for a mere copy of me!_

"You're thinking too hard," said Origami.

Kurumi widened her eye and turned her head to the other girl who was kneeling down by her bedside and staring at her.

"How long were you there?"

"Long enough to realize you'd completely dropped your guard. Then long enough to realize your mind was working far too hard. So I decided it should have a rest."

"I was just thinking about you actually. Wishing I had your photographic memory. Then I could so easily put the puzzle together and figure out exactly where and how I screwed up…"

"You said your solution would come with this Nia person you mentioned. Over thinking it now will probably cause you more grief than relief."

"So what does Tobiichi-sensei prescribe for what ails me?"

Origami got up and then sat down on her bedside. "I think what you told Kotori is right. Try living in the moment while you can. Whatever time you have between now and the arrival of the one you're waiting for can be put to better use."

"Like how?" wondered Kurumi while sitting up.

Origami reached out and pushed her back down into the bed. "By resting. I can not even begin to imagine what you have been through until now. But you have an opportunity here to heal. Use this time you've been given. Rest yourself."

Kurumi smiled and giggled a little, "Unbelievable. Even after only just meeting me, you can read me like a book and completely understand me!"

Kurumi reached out and took a hold of the other girl's hand and gently squeezed it while looking up at her with a gentle smile. "That's one of the things I love the most about you."

"I like mystery novels," she replied before laying down beside her.

"Oh my… You're very forward aren't you?"

"Don't misunderstand. I am simply here to make certain you rest. Nothing more."

Kurumi cuddled up to her and sighed contentedly. "You certainly have _that_ effect on me too… Mmm, this is so-" she quickly picked up her head and looked into Origami's eye with her own, "Wait. You just manipulated me, you sly little devil. I should have known right away!"

"Explain?"

"I said I didn't want to treat this as a vacation. But here you are seducing me into doing exactly that!"

"Correct. There will be time for whatever it is we are going to do to prepare ourselves for the coming battles, but you also stated you wanted to live in the moment for the time being. So for now, you need to rest and I intend to encourage you to simply do that."

Kurumi sighed and was about to speak when Origami pulled her back down so her head was resting on her shoulder.

"Do not try to convince me otherwise. Just answer me one simple question. When was the last time you've been able to put your head down and sleep without fear?"

"I don't feel fear Origami. I inspire it! They call me 'Nightmare' for a reason."

"You don't have to posture in front of me. Answer the question."

"I can't remember. Not since all of this started."

"Then for the rest of today, Tobiichi-sensei prescribes rest and relaxation. Also tomorrow we should go walk around and buy you clothes and other essentials. Then we'll see what else we can do."

"Wait… Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked mischievously. "Tempting as that is I don't think this is really the time for-"

Origami turned over and pushed Kurumi onto the bed while straddling her. She locked both her blue eyes onto her one crimson eye with a blank expression. "We are going out aren't we?"

"Oh my… I love it when you're so imposing," said a devilishly smiling Kurumi in a breathy voice.

"Answer the question. Do you or do you not consider us to be in a romantic relationship?"

"I don't know. Are we in a romantic relationship? Succumbing to old passions and kissing you under the full moon is one thing but-"

"From the way we talked it didn't seem like your passions were old but very current. Or is it that you're simply unsure of where I stand now? Is that what it is?"

"Something like that…"

"I'm asking you out on a date while pinning you to a bed under the weight of my body. What part of where I stand could possibly be unclear to you?"

"I didn't want to presume anything," she said with a warm smile. "Sure. I'll go out with you."

"Good. That's decided. Now I'd like to nap before dinner time. I'm told they're very strict about what time dinner is served in this house so we shouldn't miss it. I've set a wake up alarm on my phone."

* * *

Back in Homurahara academy Hiroto Tonomachi was just walking out of the school when he noticed Shido and Mana standing outside and talking. Remembering his last conversation with Kotori Emiya and what happened in his house after that he took a deep breath and walked up to them.

"Pardon me, Takamiya?" he asked to Mana but both gave him their attention.

 _Yeah… I'm boned. But whatever._

"Umm. I know this is a little out of the blue…" after he said it he quickly grimaced to himself, "No pun intended," he said while eyeing their hair colors.

"Could you just skip the point Tonomachi? We've got to go very soon," Mana stated flatly.

Tonomachi gulped, "Well… If I was wonder, if you, would like to go on a date with me? Some day, some time. If you want to," he said before quickly bowing slightly at the waist.

 _Damn I got word salad. Whatever. Her big brother is about to knock the sense back into me._

Shido simply folded his arms while Mana looked up at him. Now she was on the spot. Potentially with this boy's life in her hands depending on her answer.

"Wow… I wasn't expecting that. I thought you liked Emiya?"

Tonomachi looked back up and her and nodded, "Well yes. Of course I do. But she's my friend. I mean, she hates my guts, but she's my friend. It's complicated. But anyway. I'm asking _you_ out."

"Yes… You certainly are. I wasn't expecting it at all… That's all," she said while considering her next words. "Hmm… How would you feel about a double date then Tonomachi? We have another friend coming from overseas soon and she really likes my brother. So maybe we can all hang out together and do whatever?"

"That's fine with me. If it's acceptable to Takamiya-senpai?"

Shido kept his arms crossed and a semi-angry scowl on his face for a long moment while considering his answer.

"Oh knock it off Shido dear. You don't need to make the poor boy sweat bullets," said Kurumi in her most sultry tone while stepping up beside the elder Takamiya. "Must have taken a lot of nerve for him to ask her out like that. You can respect courage can't you? And you Tonomachi. I'm glad you decided to take my advice. If you're not living life to the fullest, it isn't worth living at all!"

"Fine, I won't kick your ass. And at least I can supervise you if we do this double date thing… Whatever. I'm fine with it."

"Good boy Shido. There's hope for you yet. But who's the lucky girl? I'm so jealous!"

"That's none of your business Nightma- _Tokisaki_ …"

"By the way, Senpai. I couldn't find you at lunch. Do you know where Emiya and Tobiichi are? I got a call from Emiya saying she was going away for a while. But she wouldn't tell me where or why? Do you know anything?" Tonomachi asked Kurumi.

"Worried about her?" asked Kurumi.

"Well yeah. Of course I am. She left in a hurry and out of nowhere. Even Miss Fujimura wasn't at school today and she's Emiya's Aunt, so that makes me even more worried," he answered her plainly.

"I'm actually a little worried too now… I hope they're alright. Emiya's a nice girl, and Miss Fujimura is really sweet," added Mana.

"Don't either of you read a newspaper? The whole Fujimura family were gunned down in some kind of Yakuza dispute or something. I'm guessing that since Miss Fujimura is close with the Emiya family, Shirou Emiya must have decided to send them all away to keep them safe."

"It's sweet of you to worry. But you don't need to. She's perfectly safe. If I were you Tonomachi, I'd be more worried about myself right now," she said before giving him a wink and Shido a pet on the head. Much to the blue haired boy's vexation.

"Damn… Did that really happen?" he asked while he and Mana pulled out their phones to read the news online.

* * *

" _Daddy! Don't go in there!"_

 _I yelled and pleaded with him but he wouldn't listen. Why wouldn't he listen? It was so hot, and the smoke was so thick. I knew there was no way he'd ever come back out of there._

" _Kurumi!" I heard my mother calling to me. "Kurumi!"_

 _I turned around and ran straight into her arms._

" _Daddy went into the fire! I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop him!" I frantically told her._

 _I heard her sigh and she held me tightly, "Oh Shirou… Can't you ever for just once in your life stick to a plan?"_

 _She pulled away from me and stared into my eye. "Kurumi. What were you even doing here?"_

" _I'm sorry. I was playing with a new friend and then I was on my way back when everything suddenly started burning!"_

" _It's alright. I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad you're alright," she said before taking my hand and placing one of her gems into it._

" _Do you remember what I taught you about creating Familiars?"_

 _I nodded to her._

" _Have you been practicing it?"_

 _I nodded to her again._

" _Good. Because now I need your help to locate your idiot father and help him find his way out of there. Can you do it?"_

" _Of course!" I said to her with such confidence._

 _I held the purple gem in my hand tightly for a moment before I closed my eye and imagined myself drawing my bow and preparing to launch the arrow at myself, straight into the fake thing hidden behind my eye patch. When the arrow stuck I felt my magic circuits ignite, it hurt but I didn't mind the pain. It was a good pain. It was a pain that made me strong._

* * *

 _I had Pinchers in my hands as I ran away from all the fire and smoke to find my way back home where it was safe. I heard noises all around me and up in the sky but I ignored them. Whatever they were screaming and shouting about had nothing to do with me._

" _Origami!" I heard my mother and father shout to me._

" _Mom! Dad!" I was so relived. All the fear I felt as I ran away from the flames vanished as I saw them there._

 _Suddenly there was a loud scream from above, I looked up but all I saw was a big bright light in the sky. Then I saw a jets of fire following it up into the sky, there was was a bright blinding flash and I had to cover my eyes. The pain and stinging I felt in my eyes was worse than anything I'd ever felt before._

 _When my vision finally cleared I looked to see where my parents were, they were still there. But only for an instant. Then there was another flash of light, and then. Nothing. They were just gone._

 _I don't know how long I was there crying before I got up and started trying to find my way. I don't know where I was going or if I even had a destination at all. By now the flames were everywhere. Everything was burning. That's when I saw her. She was there for just a moment, she looked at me, I looked at her, and then she was gone. As if she'd never been. A girl surrounded by fire._

* * *

Origami shot up in the bed with a hand over her heart, breathing heavily.

Kurumi was up an instant later and quickly pulled her into a hug. "You had a that dream again didn't you? About the fire?" asked Kurumi in a softest and most soothing voice she could manage.

"Yes," she managed to say between her deep and rapid breaths.

"So did I," she said softly.

"You were there too?" asked Origami as she slowly started to calm.

"Yes," she answered while holding the white haired girl more tightly. "I was there with my mother. When my father rescued Kotori. The day I became a big sister. It was also the day I-"

"Sorry Kurumi. Could we not discuss it now?"

"I understand. But we'll need to talk about it at some point."

"We will. But not right now… We're suppose to be resting," she said before the alarm on her phone went off.

"So much for that idea. We should go get cleaned up. You're drenched in sweat and Kotori would probably go off like a nuclear bomb if she saw me with bed head at dinner with our hosts. We should make ourselves as presentable as we can."

"Agreed. But first a question. Do you know these people very well? The man who picked us up at the train station seemed to recognize you."

Kurumi nodded, "Yes. Our families are close. But it's been a very long time since I saw anyone but Shiki and Ciel. If you're worried about being here, don't be. These are good people. We'll be safe here."

"I'll trust you," said Origami before getting up out of bed.

* * *

Shirou opened the front gate to his house with curiosity when he saw Lord El-Melloi the Second standing there elegantly dressed in a well tailored navy blue suit with a young woman standing just behind him wearing a gray hood and cloak.

"Good evening," the man greeted him.

"Good evening. Is there something wrong?" asked Shirou while relaxing his grip on a sword which he had not yet traced.

"We have some information you might be interested in learning about, and since we had a dinner invitation we thought we should stop by. I hope you'll forgive us for any imposition but I do not believe this can wait."

Shirou considered it for a moment, "I'm afraid it might have to. There's been a tragedy in the family and I have my sister staying over. Her family were all killed just up the street. I also have my girlfriend here right now."

Waver nodded solemnly, "I heard. That's part of what brings me here. I had no idea that Taiga Fujimura was the sister you mentioned."

"You know her?" asked Shirou with a raised eyebrow.

"We were acquainted during the Fourth Holy Grail War. I came to offer my condolences to her, and a lead on the murderer to you. I had a strong feeling you would seek to dispense justice upon the killer."

Shirou nodded and stepped aside to invite them in.

* * *

If it wasn't such a bad time to do something so tasteless, Shirou Emiya would have taken a picture of the look on her face at this moment. For the first time in his life, he saw Taiga Fujimura utterly dumbfounded.

"You're taller," she said to him in English without any discernable emotion in her voice.

"My hair is also longer, and I'm uglier. Your hair is shorter but you're more beautiful. Time can be cruel to some, but merciful to others. And I dare say it's been very kind to you," he answered her back in Japanese.

Shirou did the only thing he could do. He stepped aside and wanded back into his kitchen to see what he could do with the dinner that was already cooking while they started talking.

"I had no idea they knew each other? Did you?" asked Tohka in a low voice.

 _I'm impressed… She's learned about being discreet._

"Taiga never mentioned him before. I had no idea they knew each other until a minute ago."

"Who is this man Shirou? And who's the creepy girl with him?" asked Ryouko in her low voice as well.

"That's Lord El-Melloi the Second. The girl, I assume, is his apprentice. He was one of my teachers when I was a student at the Clock Tower in London."

"The Clock Tower? You mean like, you know, Big Ben?"

Shirou nodded, "That's where the Mage's Association is."

"Hidden in plain sight…"

"What better way to hide something like that?" asked Shirou with a small hint of a smirk.

"I heard about what happened to you recently, I wanted to offer you my deepest condolences. If there's anything I can do for you, I will," Waver said to her solemnly.

"Thank you so much. I can't believe you even remember me, it's been…"

"More than twenty years. Believe me when I say that was a time in my life I am incapable of forgetting. I only wish it didn't take something like this for me to be able to find you again."

"Well…" said Taiga while gesturing with open hands to the house, "Are you staying for dinner?"

* * *

Dinner saw Taiga's true personality come back out for a while, under normal circumstances it would have been annoying, but these weren't normal circumstances. Seeing Taiga back to her energetic self as she caught up with Waver Velvet turned out to be one of those things he just didn't want to miss a single moment of. One of those moments that reminds you what life is all about.

Shirou sat the head of the table with Ryouko on his right and Tohka on his left. Taiga was seated beside her and Waver and his apprentice were seated opposite them.

"So how do you know Shirou?" asked Taiga while gesturing at the other man sitting at the head of the table.

"Ahh. Mr. Emiya was a student of mine in London."

"You're kidding? You became a teacher too?"

Waver nodded with a bright smile, "Believe me, I didn't set out for it, but it's where I ended up."

Taiga was smiling happily and looked over at Shirou, "Do you realize that I became a teacher because this man told me I'd be good at it? I wouldn't be where I am now if him and this big friend of his hadn't inspired me!"

"I did not know that. I had no idea you two knew each other. Unbelievably small world this is sometimes."

Taiga looked back to Waver, "What do you teach?"

Waver cleared his throat for a moment, "Economics," he said with a firm nod.

Taiga looked back to Shirou with a sly grin, "I can assure you Professor. Shirou has learned _nothing_ from you."

"I never said he was a good student. I just said I taught Economics," he defended himself.

"For what it's worth Taiga. He's a very good teacher. I may not have learned much about Economics from him, but I did learn a lot from him."

"Like what?" asked Taiga trying to put him on the spot and embarrass him in front of his teacher.

 _Lord El-Melloi the Second. I hope you recognize what a favor I'm going to be doing you now. Don't drop the ball._

"I learned about what real confidence is, about what courage really means. He taught me that it's ok to be afraid, just as long as that fear doesn't keep you from doing what you need to do. I also learned that, if anyone thinks for a moment that they're too small and insignificant to affect the world, they're very mistaken. Anyone with a dream, no matter how small they are, or how humble their circumstances, can change the world around them. That's what I learned from this man. So while I didn't learn anything about Economics. I did learn something more important from him. I learned something about being a man."

Waver blinked at Shirou, "Are you sure you were in the right classroom Mr. Emiya? Because I want to meet this teacher you speak of and perhaps sit in on some classes."

Taiga burst into laughter.

* * *

Waver stood in the courtyard with a cigar while Shirou came out with a glass of brandy which Waver graciously accepted. Meanwhile there sounds of laughter coming from inside the house as the girls did the work of cleaning up after dinner.

 _Full house again. It's kind of nice._

"That's a very beautiful car you have out there Mr. Emiya."

"Shirou. I can't call you Waver if you can't call me Shirou."

"Very well Shirou. May I ask where you got it?" he asked while walking towards the old Mercedes Benz.

"Castle Einzbern. It belonged to-"

"To Irisviel von Einzbern. Now I know where I saw one just like before."

"You met her?" asked Shirou incredulously.

"Yes. We all thought she was Saber's Master. Wasn't until after the war that I learned that it was actually your father."

Shirou was speechless for a moment, "She was my father's wife. But I never knew her. Could you maybe tell me a little about her?"

"I don't really like to talk about those days. But I'll make an exception for you. You have a right to know about the woman who should have lived to have been your mother. I didn't really have the opportunity to get to know her. As you can imagine we were enemies. But for a short time, we were allies against a bigger threat. I managed to get a few impressions of her from that short time. For whatever it's worth to you, she was extremely kind and polite. She was _unbelievably_ beautiful. Highly intelligent, but she didn't know how to work her cellphone. But above all she was very brave, that's what I'll remember most about her. She wasn't like like I was back then,

"I was a coward. I was literally just along for the ride with my Servant. But Einzbern. She stood by her Servant. She didn't hide away in the shadows like the other masters. Even when Saber told her to get away, she refused. She and I were really the only two who had the chutzpah to actually stand with our Servants, and considering how I was, that's saying something. I was a nervous wreck the whole time until just before the end. Everyone else just cowered in the shadows with their dirty tricks… And I sincerely mean no offense to you Shirou, but I count the Magus Killer among them. Saber deserved a better Master. When I look back on those days, I think of her as Saber's Master, not him."

"Ten years ago I probably would have punched you for saying that. But I know things about my father now that I didn't know back then. I know what kind of man he was. For whatever it's worth, he was a very different man after your grail war."

"Then I wish I could have met the man who was your father. But I never even got to meet the Magus Killer. But I'll never forget that snowy haired woman who stood proudly behind her Servant. I _respected_ her. My Servant didn't respect Saber, but he respected _her_."

"Thank you for telling me, Waver. I appreciate it."

"There's also something else I have to tell you. About our present circumstances. I found out something about DEM you should probably know about. About what their real goals are, and it's why I've come to you. And it relates to what happened to Taiga's family."

Shirou held his breath and put on his best poker face as he stepped up closer to listen.

"You and I know first hand what the Holy Grail Wars are like. I fear DEM is playing with something which will cause a much greater conflict and on a much larger scale. The other day the DEM offices all over Italy were attacked by the Church because two very important and powerful things were stolen from them by DEM. I don't know what those things are, but when that happened, DEM Wizards and Association Enforces came into conflict in Moscow and New York. Unfortunately our side lost those exchanges."

Shirou bit his lip as Waver still had more to say.

"I learned something though. Something I've chosen not to share with my colleagues. Something I suspect you and your wife already knew about. The person who attacked Taiga's family was no ordinary person. My apprentice has already tracked her down. Apparently she's a school mate of your daughter."

"It's more complicated than that."

"I certainly understand why you and Rin didn't feel you could trust me with this. But I sincerely wish you had. It's all water under the bridge now and we have bigger problems than you not trusting me. Something is happening out there Shirou. Something unthinkable."

"A war is breaking out. And you're wondering which side you should choose."

"You're wrong. I've already chosen a side. Shirou Emiya," Waver said while turning to face him and extending his hand to him.

Shirou raised looked at the man's hand cautiously for a moment, "I have a family to protect here. That's my first priority. I don't care about the rules of the Association. I only fight for what's right. I fight to protect everyone."

"That's why I choose your side. The Association will fight to protect its secrets and its traditions. I find that to be a shallow cause. The Church will fight for the same. Others are staying quiet for the moment. But you. You fight for what's right. I remember when I first met you. You told me about that goal of yours. I remember saying to myself that it was indeed a silly thing, but I also knew your dream was too big for our walls to contain. Then I saw some of my best students go out into the world and accomplish such great feats. Who else could I reasonably side with in such a conflict?"

Shirou sighed, "Alright. Waver. I'll trust you," he said before finally shaking hands with the man.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Shiki groaned in frustration, "I already said no. If anyone wants to go out, they have to have to be escorted by one of us. We accepted you all here to keep you under our protection."

Kurumi was about to say something but Akiha held up a hand to her and gave her a small smile, "Shiki. If they stay in public places they'll be perfectly safe. You and Arcueid are taking Kotori and Yoshino out, what if they agreed to remain in the same area as you?"

"It's not about where they go Akiha. It's about them being alone. Why don't you just go with them?"

Akiha blinked at her brother. "Are you seriously that dense Shiki? For someone who's committed to _two_ life partners, I would have thought you'd be the one trying to convince me to let them go be alone together. Is it only obvious to me that they're going on a date?"

"Someone who wanted to put a security camera on the front gate to keep me in is telling me to let two teenage girls under our family's protection go out in broad daylight while they're under threat from a powerful militarized multinational corporation that's proven capable of defeating the Enforcers of the Mage's Association in several decisive battles? But now I'm the unreasonable one in this conversation?"

"Bad example Shiki. You were sneaking out in the middle of the night to go hunt the dead with an Executor and a True Ancestor. The difference here is they're asking our permission, and as you said, they're going in broad daylight. In very public places, in our own city, which we've worked hard to make perfectly safe."

"If someone told me all those years ago that one day I'd be the one trying to keep people inside this house while you were trying to convince me to let them out, I'd have told them they were crazy," Shiki said with a sigh while sitting down into the arm chair opposite his sister.

The bespectacled man then turned his attention to the two girls seated on the sofa. Particularly on the black haired girl, "You're a magus right?"

Kurumi grinned proudly, "I am, yes."

"Are you any good?" he asked bluntly.

"I beat up Shirou Emiya in a fair fight. More than once."

"Do you know how many tickets you could have sold to those fights?" he asked her incredulously.

"Shiki! Let's not start this again! I won't have anyone trash talking that man in this house!" demanded Akiha.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll do it _outside_ the house. Alright, fine. I'll relent. But only on one condition. If anything happens that raises even the slightest suspicion that you might by in any kind of danger, you call me, you don't try to deal with it yourselves. If you feel you're in real danger, you come straight back here to this house and you tell Akiha what happened. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," they said in unison.

Akiha nodded her head, "That settles it then, you girls have a good time and remember to be back here before sunset. I'd like to have the gates locked and secured before dark."

They both stood up and bowed to Akiha.

* * *

"I noticed Akiha seems to have a lot of respect for your father. She was very quick to defend him from Shiki's hostility," observed Origami.

The pair walked through a busy street in the city. The roads were lined with stores and Kurumi knew exactly what she wanted and that she'd never find it in a mall. So they came to one of the more well known areas which was full of boutiques and other small businesses to shop. She had already purchased a few basic essentials along the way and had them in a shopping bag.

Origami wore a high collared white sleeveless blouse with a short blue skirt. Somehow even making the sneakers she was wearing seem elegant in stark contrast to the mish mashed cloths Kurumi was still wearing. Borrowed jeans that only just fit well enough, old school shoes, and one of the plain t-shirts she took from Tohka.

"Well. She may have had a little crush on him once upon a time. But that's not the reason she respects him so much. It's because he helped her clean up this town while it was being threatened. Not to suggest that Shiki, Ciel, and Arcueid were incapable of doing it all on their own. It's just my parents helped them do it."

"Do I want to know what kind of trouble they had here that would require such people to handle it?" she wondered aloud.

"No. You probably do not. Oh! Here it is! I knew this place had to still be here!"

Origami looked at the window and narrowed her eyes, "How do you intend to pay for anything here?"

"It's not a problem. Just trust me."

Kurumi walked with a cheery smile and demeanor as the shopkeeper eyed the pair suspiciously.

Kurumi started looking around at the collection of dresses they had on display while Origami carefully maintained her poker face while inwardly gawking at all the prices.

"Welcome to our store. May I help you?" asked the sales lady.

"Why yes. I've unfortunately had a little bit of an accident with my luggage during my recent travels. I've lost nearly my entire wardrobe and need to replace it before I accidentally make what I'm wearing now trendy," said Kurumi with a cheery smile and voice.

"I can assure you Miss. There's no chance of that. However…"

"Oh! I like this one. May I try it on?"

"Miss. That dress costs six hundred thousand yen."

Kurumi eyed the dress over one more time. It was a mostly black two piece gothic style dress with short sleeves and gloves. It had splashes of white, and it was brilliantly ruffled and frilled. The top was made with an outer corset with three buckles under the chest which wrapped around a white frilly top. Finally there was a black bow trimmed with white ruffles with a rose as its centerpiece. It also had a matching hair piece with three roses of various sizes on it.

 _I've always wanted this damn dress. Amazing they haven't sold it since the last time I was in Misaki._

"Hmm… I didn't bring quite that much cash," Kurumi remarked thoughtfully. "Do you take credit cards?"

"We do…" the woman answered cautiously.

"Good. Then I'll take this one, that one, and… That one. Oh, and I will be wearing this one out of the store. So let me see what footwear you have to go with it," she said cheerfully.

The woman's jaw hung open.

"Will that be a problem?"

"No! No problem at all!"

* * *

Kurumi walked confidently and happily beside Origami with her shopping bags in one hand and Origami's hand held in the other. She had untied her hair and let it flow freely behind her with her bangs mostly still obscuring her eyepatch.

"Kurumi… Do I want to know how you paid for that?"

"Probably not…" was her suddenly bashful response.

"Tell me anyway."

"Stolen credit card..." she said in a low voice.

Origami sighed and shook her head, "Don't do that again. The last thing we need is for the authorities to come after us as well because of credit card fraud."

"There's no chance of that. If the person I stole it from reports any suspicious activity in this bank account. Then he'll have to answer a lot of very embarrassing questions in front of a very high court in a country that isn't exactly known for its tolerance of immorality and criminal activity. Trust me. It's happened once. I pushed my luck all the way to see how far it would go."

"Strictly out of curiosity, how far was that?"

"A lot further than I thought. I was living very comfortably splurging on every expensive thing I could think of. Took three months and millions of dollars before someone came asking questions. It was a pointless indulgence. I just had to test the limits."

"Still. Do not do that again. Treat this time line as if you're going to stay and live in it."

Kurumi squeezed Origami's hand a little more tightly, "I am. And I will. I promise."

"Then dispose of that credit card."

"That thing saved my life a lot of times though. It's not useless to us and I don't usually indulge myself like this."

Kurumi stopped and smirked at Origami. The white haired girl's expression remained very stern and serious.

Kurumi sighed, "Alright. How would you like me to dispose of it?"

"Give it to me," she said while holding out her hand.

Kurumi grinned and reached into her new purse to pull out the plastic card and then put it in the waiting hand.

"Sheik Khalid bin Saif? That store clerk must have been desperate for a commission..." Origami folded and broke it into two halves before dropping it into a nearby recycle bin. "Do you have any others?"

"I don't. That was the only one that worked reliably."

"Good. From now on. Rely on me to support you. Not criminal behavior. I might not be able to afford to shop in places like that, but I can at least take care of your reasonable needs."

Kurumi smirked, "My reasonable needs huh? Alright then," she said before pointing to a lingerie store. "Allow me to put that to the test."

Origami nodded to her. "Nothing unreasonable about that. As I recall, you have nothing at all right now."

"Nothing at all… _Indeed_ ," she said in a low raspy voice.

Origami just raised an eyebrow as they walked into the store.

* * *

Kurumi held onto Origami's arm as they walked down the street after coming out of the last store. "You were blushing so much… It was adorable…"

"And you are incorrigible. At least you purchased some practical items, but was it necessary for you to purchase that racy set?"

"After I saw the look on your face when I tried it on, how could I not?" Kurumi suddenly stopped and looked at the the store they were in front of. "Hey Origami. I know you're still in the Archery club. But do you still go to the Dojo that's near your apartment on Saturdays?"

"I do actually. I spend at least six hours practicing and watching the Masters there."

"We used to do that together. Every saturday, nine to three. After that we did whatever we felt like. Sunday was the only day we took off from Archery. Except of course days where you had to be at the army base."

"I believe I'm now thinking what you are thinking. Shall we go inside?"

"Yeah. I was so sad that I didn't get a chance to practice with you while I was at the school."

"Then perhaps now that we've concluded buying your essentials and some non-essentials, that we buy some essentials from here and perhaps they can direct us to somewhere we can practice?"

The two walked into the store and started browsing the wares after being welcomed by the storekeeper. It didn't take them very long to find what they needed, both favored the use of traditionally made bamboo bows and arrows and both favored the modest and plain practice cloths over some of the more elaborate sets of equipment.

* * *

It was already the afternoon by the time they reached the sports center, which turned out to be very close to the Tohno mansion. After dropping off their purchases and informing the lady of the house of their plans they walked hand in hand to their destination with their newly purchased equipment.

They were graciously welcomed but were, to their mutual surprise, asked for Kyudo Certificates.

"If you don't have certificates, you can pay an extra fee for an instructor to practice with you."

"I have one, but do you? I did not anticipate this…"

Kurumi nodded, "I do actually," Kurumi reached into her hand bag, "Shadow port," she muttered under her breath before pulling out a different wallet than the one Origami had seen her using before.

Kurumi brought out her certificate card and took a careful look at it. She sighed a little with relief before she handed it over to Origami who looked at it with a small smile and then handed both matching cards over to the receptionist.

"Tobiichi-sama, and Emiya-sama. Everything is in order here. Welcome."

After a short while they were using the changing room to get into the appropriate attire.

"I find it interesting. Our lives are so different than what you remember, yet still so similar," observed Origami.

"Did my Aunt encourage you to get ranked at the start of this year as well?"

"She did, but I was disinclined until her former student-"

"Ayoko. Yeah."

"Indeed. So that happened in your original timeline as well?"

"Yes. Ayoko convinced us of the benefits of being ranked Kyudo practitioners. Turns out the payoff came today of all days… I'm a little blown away by that. Before all this started, we were adamant about how we didn't care about ranks, titles, competitions, prizes, or whatever. We just did this because we enjoyed it. If things had stayed like they were, we might never have ever needed those certificates for anything. But now… After however the hell many loops I've been through. Now I actually needed it? And somehow it didn't get erased like my student ID did or other things?! Amazing how that worked out… Perhaps this is the world finally deciding to take some pity on Kurumi Emiya."

Kurumi was sounding more and more agitated as she went on speaking. Origami was quickly by her side with a hand on her shoulder in an effort to project some calm onto her.

"Perhaps now you see why I insist you take time for rest. There are a lot of emotions inside of you that you need to confront. And I'm beyond certain that there have been many wounds inflicted upon you that never had a chance to heal. But this is exactly what Kyudo is for."

"Truth, goodness, and beauty. Three things I've had to give up along the way. I don't know if those things are even for me anymore. I've done so many unspeakable things. My life has become this… this prison. A dark prison in which I'm chained to a clock. I'm not even me anymore, I'm just this…" she said while gesturing to her own shadow being cast by the overhead lighting. "I'm just the shadow of the person who was Kurumi Emiya."

"That can't be true. But rather than sit here and smother you with pretty words," she said while picking up Kurumi's bow and handing it to her. "I'll only say to you that such things can never be lost to you. You may have cast them aside as you say, but you can still have them again. All you have to do it reach out and take them."

Kurumi took the bow with a sincere smile. "You're still exactly the same. It's like proof that you influenced me more than I influenced you. But I told you before that I'm irredeemable. One day you'll learn the whole truth about me and then you won't be able to even look at me anymore. It's inevitable."

"Death is the only inevitability. Everything else is negotiable."

"Heh… Alright. So where shall we begin negotiating?" she said while standing up and taking a hold of her bow.

Rather than talk more, Origami just picked up her own bow and started walking out of the changing area.

"Good idea," said Kurumi while moving to follow.

* * *

Kurumi had her bow fully drawn and then launched her arrow at the target, hitting it almost exactly dead center while Origami did exactly the same at exactly the same time. Both girls mirrored each other's movements through all eight steps as they loaded, raised, drew, and fired. Between their shots each came to the seiza position for a moment of meditation and self reflection while placing their arrows into the bows and standing up again in a display of deep spiritual synchronization.

"Look at those two behind us! See how they do it? That's how this is suppose to go you dingbat! This isn't suppose to be about accuracy! So I win!"

"Rebuttal. My shot grouping was clearly superior. Therefore. I am the winner. You are simply a sore loser," she stated monotonously and emotionlessly.

As they were about to fire their final arrows both stopped, lowered their bows, unloaded their arrows, and turned around to find two identical orange haired girls behind them having an argument.

The louder one had her hair braided up, and the other had her hair in one very long braid. Both were very attractive, but for being identical twins they had many subtle differences in their bodies. But there was nothing subtle about their different personalities. One was lean and delicate looking which reflected nothing of her more outgoing and outspoken personality. The other was curvy and sexy, but she spoke in a very robotic manner with her volume stuck at one setting. She seemed to also lack the capacity for emotion as well.

"You're gonna have a sore face if you don't take that back!"

"Fact. The longer you persist in being a poor sport the more you are proving that I was the winner," she stated flatly in a complete monotone.

Kurumi's eyebrow twitched while Origami sighed impatiently.

"Excuse me ladies…" said Kurumi in a polite but firm voice.

"Do either of you know anything about the practice of Kyudo at all?" asked Origami in a similarly firm but dry emotionless voice.

"Mind your business Humans!" yelled the louder twin.

"Observation. I believe your loss of composure has proven me the winner beyond the shadow of a doubt."

"Enough!" yelled Kurumi while turning around to confront the two.

"You've both 'lost' because neither of you understand why," added an annoyed Origami.

"I already told you two! This is between us! Mind your business!"

"Querry. How can we both be the losers? Clearly I was the victor."

Kurumi palmed her face while Origami spoke up.

"The practice of Kyudo involves the following of strict etiquette. Which you have both egregiously breached. It is not a practice for competition, but you are both clearly treating it as such. Kyudo is practiced with the goal of pursuing physical, spiritual, and moral development. By treating it as a petty game, you have both failed."

"Hrm… Shall we call this another draw Yuzuru?"

"Negative. A draw may only be called when the scores are tied. Implying we must both be equally successful. However, if we have both failed it is not a draw, but a failure of either one of us to display the skills worthy of our competition."

The quieter twin then gave her full attention to the two other girls, "Request. Could you elaborate on how precisely we have both failed in this sport?"

Kurumi and Origami both looked at each other for a long moment.

"Kyudo is about displaying proper etiquette. It's about the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty. Elegance of posture, refinement of technique, being in harmony with yourself and your surroundings," explained Kurumi.

Origami nodded, "Correct. It is not about competition. It is about self improvement. To be better today than you were yesterday. To be better tomorrow than you are today. It is about showing courtesy, compassion, morality, and non-aggression."

"None of which you two have displayed just now. That's why you failed. A good Kyudo practitioner should never lose their composure or grace no matter how stressful the situation. This isn't a sport. It's an art," Kurumi concluded.

The twins nodded their heads with wonder in their eyes before turning to look at each other. "Hey Yuzuru, would you not agree those are all qualities befitting of the true heir to Yamai?"

"Agreement. Yes Kaguya. I believe very strongly that they should be."

"Then it's decided!" said the louder twin while turning back to the other two girls. "Teach us all about this Kyudo thing! Then you two will decide at the end of it which of us better displays these traits you speak of."

"It doesn't quite work that way…" said Kurumi with a suspicious eyebrow raised.

"We just explained that Kyudo is not about competition. Yet you insist again on making it one. Why?" asked Origami.

"Well… I suppose you should both know everything…"

"Agreement. As the instructors and arbitrators, you deserve to know all the pertinent details."

* * *

Kurumi sat back in her chair at the coffee shop attached to the sports center while Origami shifted her stare between the two twins with a disbelieving look in her eyes as they explained themselves.

"We've each had twenty five victories and come to a draw forty nine times. The list of events to compete in is rapidly dwindling. But this time we agreed that the better archer will be the final winner. The primary weapon which Yamai used was a bow and arrow. So we've been competing in all sorts of archery events and can't come to a conclusion on who's better. Japanese Archery is the last event for us. The winner here will be the winner of the archery series, and the final winner."

"Alright. So you two are probably the most competitive twins I've ever heard of. But. What's the point of all these contests?" asked Kurumi.

"Explanation. Kaguya and I were once combined as a single spirit."

Kaguya nodded, "The name of the Spirit was Yamai. And for reasons we don't fully understand, we have to go back to being a single Spirit. So we've been competing to see which of us will become the new Yamai."

Kurumi nodded, "So if I understand you correctly, only one of you can be the dominant personality. What happens to the other?"

"It will cease to exist."

"If only I could have made _my_ twin cease to exist... " Kurumi muttered to herself.

Origami took a moment to reflect before she spoke, "So in effect. Your battle is a life or death struggle. One of you will live on as this Yamai person, while the other will cease to be."

The twins nodded.

Kurumi nodded her understand, "And you're both alright with this? That one of you will die? And the other will have to be alone for the rest of your life?"

"Answer. How we feel about the matter is irrelevant. Personal feelings will only compromise the integrity of our contest. There can be only one Yamai. The purpose of our duels is to determine who that will be," answered the stoic Yuzuru.

"So that's why we need your help now. This will be our one hundredth contest, and we're running out of time to make our decision. If we don't figure out who it'll be. We don't know what will happen but we don't think it'll be good for either of us."

"Statement. The true heir to Yamai should be capable of using our angel to its fullest capabilities. Request. We need you both to teach us and then decide which of us is the best archer. Will you help us?"

Origami and Kurumi looked at each other for a long moment.

"Could you both meet us back here tomorrow morning at nine? We'll have a decision for you by then."

The twins looked at each other and then back at the two girls and nodded.

* * *

 **Fuyuki, Japan**

Hiroto Tonomachi waited patiently at the appointed meeting place in New City. It was a street with a wide variety of choices for activities including cafes, shopping, and other entertainments. He opted to wear a white button shirt and dark jeans with sneakers. Hoping the effect would make him presentable without seeming as though he was trying too hard.

As the hour came and past though…

 _Man… Should have realized I'd be made a chump._

At fifteen past on the dot however…

"Tonomach? Sorry I'm late," said Mana from beside him.

 _Oh man what a relief…_

Tonomachi turned to Mana with a smile, "It's alright. I only just got here a few minutes ago."

 _Oh man she looks so cute…_

Mana wore a loose fitting white tank top under a light blue zip up hoodie with a short denim skirt and sneakers. While looking cute to him, he also didn't feel under or overdressed and was assured that he'd made the right call with his clothing.

"You look cute," he blurted out to her.

"Thank you. You look good yourself," she replied cheerfully.

Tonomachi scratched his head nervously for a moment, "Uhh. Sorry. Wasn't your brother suppose to be joining us?"

Mana gave him a quick nod. "He's on his way. I just casually left him behind to give you a quick briefing on his date so you don't get taken by surprise. I kinda want today to go smoothly for her."

Tonomachi raised up a curious eyebrow. "Oh? You must really like her."

"Oh I adore her. She's had a crush on my brother for a long time now. But she's a little different. Not that I think you'd care about such things. But… Oh there they are now, you can see for yourself," she said while looking out and gesturing with her head up the street from their meeting spot.

Tonomachi looked up the street and saw Shido walking towards them with a girl who seemed to be the same age as Shido. She was smiling happily and then seemed to giggle at something Shido told her. She had long ginger hair braided neatly over the front of her shoulders and reaching down to her waist. She wore a very elegant white summer dress which instantly made him feel under dressed. Though seeing Shido dressed in pretty much the same manner as he was except with a blue short sleeved shirt open to reveal a white undershirt and similar dark jeans and sneakers made him instantly relax about his attire again.

He then look over at Mana with a quizzical expression. "She's very pretty and she seems very happy to be with your brother. So what's the problem exactly?"

"She's in a wheelchair. You don't have to pretend not to notice. She's also blind."

"Off the top of my head I can name you three good coffee shops and two good restaurants here that have braille menus, and all of them also have good wheelchair access."

"You're used to this sort of thing then I'm guessing?"

"My mom can't walk. So I learned how to pick good places to go with her," he stated emotionlessly.

"That's good to know. Not about your mom I mean. That's just terrible. But. It's good to know we can rely on you to help us make today fun for her. I'll let her introduce herself. But I guess the only other thing you should know is that she can't speak any Japanese at all. She's Irish. So... Uh. I know Kotori speaks English very well. But how's yours?"

"Ahh. Now _that_ could be problem. Japanese Braille is different than it is in the west. I'll be happy to help explain anything to her. As for my English. I hope I speak sufficiently enough to not look like idiot," he said with a thick accent in the best English he could.

"It's better than my Japanese. I think you'll be fine," replied Mana with her proper British English. "There's no need to stress yourself. Since we'll talk in English to her, I didn't want you to be left out."

"Your Japanese is perfectly fine Takamiya. But maybe you can help me with my English, and I can help you with your Japanese."

"Maybe you can start by teaching me how to write my name? It was so embarrassing having to put my name on the board in English."

"I'll be glad to."

A few moments later Shido arrived gently pushing the wheelchair of his date in front of him. He locked eyes with Tonomachi, giving him a dirty look but when he spoke it was in a very polite tone of voice. "Good afternoon Tonomachi."

Tonomachi bowed slightly to the older boy, "Good afternoon Takamiya-senpai."

Mana whiled and stepped between Tonomachi and the new girl. "Ahh. This is the boy I told you about, his name is Hiroto Tonomachi. Tonomachi, this is Cecile O'Brien."

Cecile put her hand out straight ahead of her. "Pleased to meet you Hiroto."

Tonomachi took a very quick breath, he couldn't expect her to know better than to use his first name. "I am pleased to meet you too, O'Brien-san," he said while gently placing his hand under her's and gently taking it in greeting.

"Call me Cecile," she said kindly and with a bright smile.

Tonomachi looked hesitant before Mana gave him a gentle nudge and silently encouraged him to do it.

"Ahh. As you wish. Cecile."

Meanwhile, from the top of one of the many highrise buildings around them, KURUMI silently observed the four with a small smile on her face while they walked away from their meeting place together.

* * *

Later the four youngsters, at Shido's insistence, entered one of Fuyuki's many fine restaurants. This one happened to serve mostly western food which was the most probable candidate from Tonomachi's suggestions to have something for the picky eater of the group.

Once they entered the establishment and were shown to a table the staff courteously took away one of the chairs to make room for Cecile. Shido gently pushed her into place beside him before seating himself. Tonomachi meanwhile pulled out a chair for Mana and gently slid it in behind her as she sat down. Not accustomed to such manners she blushed deeply as she seated herself.

Shido and Mana were surprised when the staff didn't even need to be told to bring out the braille menu for Cecile as they politely set one down on the table among the others for perusal. After taking drink orders the waitress politely excused herself.

Shido then took the menus and started passing them around to everyone. He skimmed the menu with a particular emphasis on finding suggestions for his sister who struggled to read what was written. Tonomachi rightly knew to keep quiet and let Shido help her make her selection. After he did that he turned his full attention to Cecile to help her interpret the menu and make a choice.

Shido was incredibly patient with her, letting her sound out what she was feeling along each item of the menu and then telling her what it all meant. There wasn't a moment of impatience or irritation to be heard in his voice, or seen on his face.

After they had all chosen what they wanted, Tonomachi took it upon himself to open a conversation by asking the new girl what brought her to Japan. In response she smiled brightly, her head directed at no one in particular as she explained.

"Well. I'm here to be with Shido and Mana. Nothing more to it than that."

"So you're all close?"

Shido nodded, "Yes, you can say that. We're all orphans who got accepted into a special training program run by DEM Industries. Our training brought us to the DEM Branch here in Fuyuki. While Mana and I can attend school normally, for obvious reasons Cecile couldn't come join us until now because of her school schedule."

"I see. So you're all getting job training from the company?"

"Pretty much yes. DEM has these programs for the underprivileged in every country they operate in. We were all lucky enough to get in. They fund our educations and give us specialized training so by the time we graduate we can all join their workforce," explained Mana.

"That's actually really good. So what are you all hoping to do after you graduate and finish this training?" asked Tonomachi.

"Mana and I are still undecided on that," stated Shido.

"We've looked into a lot of things but it's a bit hard to chose. We still have time though," added Mana.

"For me. I intend to go into research. I like to study. So I think I can do that professionally," said Cecile.

"That's really amazing. You must be very smart."

"I never exactly got to do very much else. Before I met Shido and Mana I didn't get to go out and do very much at all. But these two treated me like a normal person even though I can be a burden because of my issues."

 _Her accent is so cool… Mana's is really pretty. But Cecile's is just so cool._

"Oh come on Cecile. We've been over this. You're no burden to us at all. In fact we're all better for having you and your superhuman brain around!" exclaimed Mana.

Shido nodded, "Mhmm. She's like the Professor X to our X-men. Without her around to figure out the complicated stuff we'd never get very far. Our 'instructor' Ellen, _hates_ that Cecile is smarter than she is, but she can go die in a fire."

"Ellen isn't _that_ bad…I've learned a lot from her."

"From where we're sitting it looks like you're teaching her," said Mana with a smug face.

After a short while they all placed their orders. When the food came out, Shido took a moment to help Cecile find the cutlery on the table and gently moved her hands around the plate to let her know what food was where. They then ate while Tonomachi continued making small talk, sharing laughs and amusing anecdotes. Though he struggled with his English, Tonomachi did his best to keep the conversations flowing from topic to topic. To Mana's immense surprise even though he was weak with the language compared to the rest of the table, he was very good at being social and entertaining. With him around, there just wasn't a dull moment.

"Oh Mana… I'm sorry to be a bother but, could you help me to the facilities?" asked Cecile during a lull in the humor going around.

"No bother at all Cecile. I need to go myself," she said while standing up.

Tonomachi quickly stopped her and whispered to her very discreetly. "There are three rooms in this place. One has the proper layout for wheelchairs. It's next to the women's room. You'll see it clearly marked. Use that one."

Mana nodded, "Thanks. Never would have known about that on my own," she said to him with sincere gratitude.

She then quickly went over behind the wheelchair to maneuver her out of the table.

"Excuse us gentlemen," said Cecile politely before they left.

After the girls were gone, Shido's stern eyes fell on Tonomachi with the weight of a thousand bricks.

Tonomachi gulped audibly, "Did I say something wrong Senpai?"

"No. It's not anything you said. It's something you did. I want to know what your intentions are towards my sister."

"I would hope they're the same as yours are towards Cecile."

"You realize that could be the wrong answer… You don't know what kind of person I am."

Tonomachi shook his head, "No. You're right I don't. But you seem to really like her. You don't let her feel guilty for all the extra help she needs that you provide. You don't think twice about providing it either, and you only do the bare minimum that she can't get on without. It's the little things I noticed. You don't exactly help her. You help her to be able to help herself. It's not an easy thing to do around people who have disabilities. You walk that line masterfully. So you have to be a good person. That's how I see it. And being a good person, you obviously have good intentions."

"Mana talked me into this date with her. It wasn't my idea. She's been trying to push me towards her for a while now, and it isn't that I don't like her. Because I do. She's smart, she's pretty, she's kind, she's strong, and she's a natural leader. In spite of all her disadvantages she achieves everything she puts her mind to. I respect her a lot. But before I could date her, well, I'm not sure how to put it exactly..."

"You had to be sure that you would be serious about it?"

Shido nodded, "Exactly. So are you serious about my sister? Or was this just a whim? If I found out you did this just because Kotori Emiya turned you down I'm going to hurt you. What do you even like about Mana?"

Tonomachi took a breath and a moment to put his thoughts in order. "She's strong. But she doesn't show it off. She's not ashamed of some of her negative traits, like being a picky eater for example. She's real. Unlike someone else I know she doesn't have to use brute force to make people respect her. She gets respect just by being herself. I like that about her."

He took another breath and choose his words more carefully, "Emiya is my friend. Like I told your sister before. The thing about her is that she doesn't give respect to anyone who can't earn it. She's also a strong girl. But Emiya respects your sister, and she got that respect the first day she met her. She didn't back down from Emiya like anyone else would have. I respect Emiya a lot. If she thought your sister was a good person, then I knew it had to be true, and that changed how I saw her. She wasn't just a pretty girl after that. I wouldn't date a girl just because she's pretty. Not to say that I don't think she's pretty, because she is. But I want to get to know her better, with clear intentions."

 _Good going Hiroto, you handled that just exactly like Tokisaki-senpai said you should. Be honest, be clear, don't let him intimidate you._

Shido gave a very slow nod of his head, "Good enough I guess… I'll allow you to date my sister Tonomachi. But if you upset her in anyway… I will bring the wrath of all hell down upon you. I hope you know I mean that too."

"You're her big brother. It's right that you protect her. But believe me. Whatever hell you can bring down upon me Senpai, it's nothing compared to the hell I live through everyday of my life. If I upset your sister, I would welcome whatever wrath you would visit upon me."

There was something in the younger boy's eyes as he said that. Something that reminded him of himself.

"I believe you. And I get the feeling that we might have a lot to talk about in the future."

* * *

"Mana? Are we alone in here?" asked Cecile after washing her hands in the sink.

"Yes. We are. Why?"

"Because you should probably know something about your date. I can't tell you why exactly, but I sense something about him. Don't get me wrong, he seems like a very nice lad. But I can't shake this feeling that something's off about him."

"Cecile? What feeling is that?" asked Mana with grave concern.

"I can't tell you what it is exactly. But I just know he's different somehow..."

"Could he be a Magus?"

Cecile shook her head, "I can't say. But I can say for certain that I don't feel like he means you any harm. There's nothing malevolent about what I'm feeling from him. I can tell from the way he acts he genuinely likes you and he genuinely wants us all to have a good time. I just know from my studies that there's a lot of strange things here in Japan so maybe I'm just being paranoid because I love you so much. But I just wanted you to be aware."

"I trust your feelings. I'll keep my eyes open. But could you not mention this to my brother?"

"Why do you think I brought you here to tell you this?" she asked with a giggle. "I can tell you like him too."

Mana sighed, "Yeah. I do. I didn't think I would. But when he asked me out I didn't want to say no. He asked me infront of my brother, knowing what Shido's reaction probably would have been."

"He's a good lad. He's got guts. He's polite. And he's authentic. If nothing off putting comes of this feeling I get, I honestly couldn't wish for a better boyfriend for you."

"Thanks Cecile. I appreciate you telling me this. I'll look into it."

* * *

A short while later the four came out of the restaurant and started walking up the street. Tonomachi lead the way to the next destination they agreed on with Shido pushing Cecile up the sidewalk between Tonomachi and Mana as they all walked together with happy expressions.

The moment however was quickly ruined for Tonomachi.

"Hiroto?" asked a taller dark haired woman in front of him walking arm in arm with a taller reddish haired man, and another dark violet haired woman walking directly behind them.

Tonomachi's eyes widened and he stood frozen in place at what he saw. "A..Aunt Ryouko?"

"Hello again Tonomachi," said Shirou with a kind smile. "And hello again to you two. Shido and Mana Takamiya right?"

"Hey Tonomachi! Nice to see you again!" said an enthusiastic Tohka.

"Hello Emiya-san," said Shido and Mana with their heads lowered and their teeth clenched.

"Why is it so tense all of a sudden?" asked the girl in the wheelchair.

Shido bent down to whisper into her ear, "I'll tell you later."

"I heard Emiya-sama was dating someone. I had no idea it was you Aunt Ryouko. Small world. I... I uh… I'm happy for you."

"Yeah… Umm. Thank you Hiroto. So uhh. These are your friends?" she asked him.

Tonomachi nodded. "Shido and Mana Takamiya go to school with me, and this is their friend Cecile."

"I see… Umm. It's nice to meet you all. I'm Ryouko Kusakabe. My big sister is Hiroto's mother."

"Well. Uhh. It was nice seeing you again Aunt Ryouko. But we need to get going or we'll be late..." said Tonomachi while walking away briskly with the others following him closely, all apparently getting his hint on top of the fact that unbeknownst to him they themselves wanted to be out of the situation.

"That was really awkward…" observed Tohka, seemingly oblivious to Ryouko's pained expression.

Shirou looked at the pained expression on his girlfriend's face, "Ryouko? Are you alright?"

She shook her head in response, "Not really. I don't want to talk about it right now. Can we just move on? Waver is probably waiting for us by now."

"Certainly."

* * *

 _ **Misaki, Japan**_

After dinner that night, Origami found Kurumi on a balcony staring at the night sky with her gloved hands firmly gripping the guard rail.

"May I presume you are agonizing over what we heard today?"

Kurumi said nothing in response except to further tense up her body.

Origami walked out beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "I knew their story would disturb you. I asked you out on a date, went somewhere with you where we both should have found peace and calm, but instead we stumbled upon an entirely new problem. I suppose it should go without saying that you've never encountered these two before?"

Kurumi shook her head, "No. Not even I've met all the Spirits. They're good. They know how to avoid detection. I couldn't even sense it until they told us what they were."

"I suppose they must be good then. Do you have any ideas?"

"None. What do you think we should do?"

"I'd like more information before I make a decision. We only have their word for it that there's no way for them to live apart. One day they will have to recombine into a single entity. I don't understand how such a thing is even possible in the first place."

Kurumi sighed, "We have a few days at least until Ciel gets back with Nia. It's probably a bad idea, but I can't just let this go. We should call Ciel and ask for Nia's help with this. It'll raise a lot of questions I don't want to answer though…"

"I can't even imagine myself in their place. Hence, I feel I should defer to your judgement on this matter and take a supporting role."

Kurumi growled lowly, "They're full of shit. That's my judgement on this matter. I'm personally inclined to just leave them to their own destruction."

"That seems harsh, and a little out of character for you. Please explain your feelings."

"It's simple Origami," she said with no small hint of anger in her voice, "If someone told me that between my sister and I, one of us had to die so the other could live. There wouldn't be any hesitation on my part. I'd step right up and put my neck down on that chopping block with pleasure. And I did. That's part of how I ended up where I am now."

"Is that how you became a Spirit?"

Kurumi nodded, "It's not quite as simple as that. But when you strip away all the unnecessary details. I made the decision so I would have the power I needed to protect the people I love. Wasn't until after that I realized I had condemned myself. But I have no regrets. I accept my fate. As long as Kotori is safe, I'll pay any price. My father and I both doomed ourselves for this. The only difference is that I got a do over, and he didn't."

"I'm not sure I understand?"

Kurumi sighed, "I'll tell you about it another time. I just needed to let my inner bitch grumble a little. Of course I have no intention of letting this happen to them. They're sisters. Whatever it takes, I'm going to show them that instead of fighting to find out which one gets to live, they should both be fighting tooth and nail so they can both live!"

"That seems a bit hypocritical of you, considering your circumstances."

"It's in my blood. No matter how much it annoys me sometimes, I can't escape it."

"Perhaps… And this is just a theory. Perhaps they don't understand what it means for them to be sisters?"

Kurumi put a hand to her chin and considered that statement, "You could have a point. Yes. Yes. You do have a point. You're quite correct. When we first met Tohka she was utterly oblivious to anything. It stands to reason these two don't have a fully developed concept of their relationship to each other. We could help them learn that. But first we need a solution to present them with."

"Then shall we go make that call?"

Kurumi nodded, "Yes. Let's do that."

* * *

 _ **Paris, France**_

Ciel, Luvia, and Nia sat together at coffee shop on a busy Parisian street. Nia was reading her book while Luvia was busy with a newspaper and Ciel with her tea while petting Len. That was when the former Executor's phone started ringing. She quickly answered it with a nervous expression. "Shiki? Is everything alright?"

"It's not Shiki calling… I think it's for me," said Nia while holding out her hand.

Ciel raised her eyebrow and handed the phone over.

"I thought so," she said happily while accepting the phone. "Hello Kurumi! Do you mind if I call you that?"

"It's better than you blurting out the wrong name again," replied Kurumi.

"Yes. I read about that. So embarrassing. I hope you can forgive me."

"It was another life. No hard feelings at all. Do you know why I'm calling?"

"Yes I do!" Nia happily exclaimed. "Just a moment while I find that page."

"Take your time. This isn't an expensive long distance call or anything."

Nia started flipping pages in her book in a big hurry, "Yes… I should have been prepared but I lost track of time. You know how that is right?"

"Better than you."

"Got it. The sisters Yamai. Quick background to get you up to speed. The Original Yamai was someone they experimented on trying to figure out how to extract part of a crystal from a living Spirit. Like what they did to me. Unfortunately when they split the crystal they didn't yet have the process figured out. They wrote it off as a failure and were about to extract the whole thing when she woke up and escaped. Pissing off people who can control the weather is probably a bad idea right?"

"We both know DEM aren't unwilling to take stupid risks. Could you skip to the part I need to know?"

"You need to know all of this if you want to help them dear. After she escaped her crystal split and she became the two entities you met. They are correct in that they have to merge the crystal again, and they are running out of time to do it. What you need to do is find a way to stabilize the crystals if you want to save them both."

"I don't suppose you can tell me how to do that?"

"If I could, you and I would probably be doing something much more relaxing than this right now."

"Point taken."

"All I can give you are the facts. They can be stabilized."

"What about extracting them? Can they exist without the crystals?"

"No. They would just cease to exist. They're pretty much pure Spirits right now. The only idea that really comes to mind is unfortunately based on DEM's research which I'm looking at right now. It's stupidly dangerous but, if you can get them to invert, and then revert them again. That could repair the crystals."

"Could?"

"This isn't an exact science, even for them. It might work. It might not. This is why I hate humans who tamper with things beyond their understanding."

"Don't go there with me Nia. Just answer me this. Why would that work in theory?"

"Because… Wait. I think I see your logic. Yes. It can work. If you can remove the damaged parts of their crystals without extracting the whole thing and destroy the parts you remove, the split crystals should stabilize on their own. It's not exactly what they did to me. But I don't see why it wouldn't work in this case."

"It's worth a shot. By the way. Do you know what the 'other me' did?"

"Yes. I should have something for you by the time we get there. There's a lot of gibberish to sort through. But I'm on it. I let you down before. I won't let you down again."

"Don't start thinking that way. It's bad for your health."

"Believe me I know how silly it is. But I still feel responsible for what my alternate self did. I won't make her mistakes."

"Well. If that's how you want to look at it… Do yourself a favor and flip the page."

Nia turned the page of her book and chuckled at a drawing of Kurumi blowing her a kiss.

"I love your new dress. Elegant gothic lolita girls are the best things in the world."

"Thanks. See you soon," said Kurumi before hanging up the phone.

Nia handed Ciel's phone back to her shrugged at the strange looks she was getting.

"Old friend, sort of. It's complicated."

"Kurumi is the girl who saved us all in Fuyuki, she's staying at my house right now. How do you know her? You need to tell us what you know about her Nia," said Ciel with a stern voice.

Nia shook her head. "I can't. Sorry. I hate getting spoilers, and I hate giving them. Not unless it's absolutely necessary and won't result in some kind of epic disaster. Lesson I've apparently learned the hard way. If she wants you to know anything she'll tell you herself. Her plans are very carefully laid out and if I say one wrong thing they could all come apart and she's not exactly in a position to try again right now. It's complicated. You'll find out on your own soon enough."

"Can we trust her? At least tell me that."

"For what it's worth? I would if I were you. And I would if I were me. Which I am. So I do. She's more than a little coo-coo after what she's been through, but she's got a good heart. Just don't try to tell her that. She's pretty much convinced herself that she's not a good person anymore. It's complicated… Anyway. Do you think we have time to go up the Eiffel Tower?"

Ciel and Luvia both stared at her sideways. "Is this really the time to be playing tourist?" they asked in unison.

* * *

 _ **Fuyuki, Japan**_

"So I guess you don't get along with your Aunt?" asked Mana with a cautious tone.

"It's not that. It's just an awkward family situation. Could we not discuss it?"

Mana nodded, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright Takamiya. Really. I'm not upset with you at all. Still it's getting really late and I should be going home soon. Would you like me to show you the way back to where we met? Or if you like I could walk you all the way home? I wouldn't want you all to get lost."

Shido looked at the boy and nodded, "Sure. If you can show us back to where we met up, then we can easily find our way back. We don't live far from there."

Tonomachi gestured in the direction with his arm, "This way then. We can cut through the park for a shortcut."

"A park? Sounds so romantic," said Cecile with a smile while reaching around behind her to place her hand gently on top of Shido's. The boy took his hand off and put it forward so she wouldn't have to awkwardly reach while pushing her chair one handed.

Mana saw what was going on and quickly moved over to take over for Shido, pushing the chair so he could walk while holding hands with her. She grinned at her older brother while he blushed and silently thanked her.

* * *

KURUMI loaded a gem into her musket and knelt down before cocking the hammer. With her crimson eye staring down the barrel she spotted her target. "Very careless. Yes. Very careless indeed. _I am the shadow on which I stand._ And In the words of the great Red Queen… Off with her head!"

There was an unidentifiable noise which echoed all around them in the deserted park.

An instant later there was an explosion behind them.

Shido and Mana both nodded at each other, Mana started pushing Cecile more quickly while Shido turned and ran towards the origin of the noise they heard.

But when she turned to get Tonomachi to follow her she saw him staring at the spot Shido was running towards with one hand in his pocket and his other hand directed at where the explosion took place.

"Tonomachi?"

Before she could try harder to get his attention he was running beside Shido who had a head start. Then he was running ahead.

"What just happened Mana?"

"We just got attacked. And you were right about Tonomachi. He's not normal. I think he stopped whatever it was that was about to hit us. Will you be alright on your own if I go help them?"

Cecile shook her head, "I don't have my equipment yet. Besides. I think they'll be fine. If you want Shido to like your boyfriend, then let them go do some male bonding. Tell me what's happening though."

"Well… Shido started running towards our attacker. He just activated his CR Unit. But Tonomachi was running behind him a moment ago, then a moment later he was beside him, and then the next he was ahead of Shido. I don't sense any magecraft at work though. Do you?"

"I do. But not from him. What's happening now?"

"I don't know. It's too dark over there. They're both coming back now… I guess the attacker got away."

A short while later they were standing around a bench on the other side of the park facing a very public and crowded street. Tonomachi was scratching his head with Shido and Mana both glaring at him for an explanation.

"Well…" he said sheepishly. "I'm not sure how to explain that exactly."

"You stopped whatever it was that was about to hit us. How did you do that. And what were you thinking going up against whomever that was with just your bare hands?!" demanded Shido.

"Well…" he repeated. "I'm not sure how to explain it…"

Cecile cleared her throat, "You have Mystic Eyes of Distortion. That's how you intercepted the explosive projectile coming towards us. So you're a Demon Hunter I take it?"

Tonomach sighed and sat down on the bench, he kept squeezing and relaxing his hands with growing anxiety before Mana took a seat beside him and gently placed her hands on his. "It's ok. You can open up to us. We'd probably understand better than anyone else could."

He took a very deep breath and felt his anxiety slowly fade away. He then took another deep breath and began to nervously explain, "I'm surprised you know about that kind of stuff. But you're wrong about me, I'm nothing. It's my father who's something. But he's no Demon Hunter. He's an outcast. A delusional madman who thinks that I'm the key to creating something new and better than his origins,

"But I want nothing to do with any of that garbage. I just want to live a normal life and not get mixed up in any of that crap. But he doesn't want to let me. My ability isn't even all that strong. I can just mess with small objects. The bigger the object, the longer it takes. He forces me to train in this kind of stupid shit. If I don't, he beats me up until I fight back. When I started just letting him beat me he started taking it out on my mother and doesn't stop until I give in..."

The boy started to tear up and his composure crumbled. He wasn't sobbing loudly though, he was fighting it back. Mana held his hands more tightly while Shido clenched his teeth and closed his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white and blood started coming out from between his fingers.

Cecile sighed, "I'm sorry I made you reveal all of that. I was just curious. None of us are unlike you though. I'm a Magus. So that's how I know about this kind of stuff. And I can understand why you'd want to avoid getting involved. It's not a nice world. That's why I don't associate myself with Mages. Well. Except for these two, but they aren't really mages."

Tonomachi looked up at Shido and Mana, "You're both mages?"

The siblings shook their heads, "Sort of. But not. Like you we don't want anything to do with that world," explained Mana.

"Except to fight against it when it comes trying to interfere in our lives," said Shido with a firm and determined voice.

"If you want a way out of your situation Tonomachi. I think we can help you with that," offered Mana. "Right big brother?"

Shido nodded his head. "Yeah. We can. And we will. But this doesn't mean I like you Tonomachi. If after this you piss off my sister, you'll look back on the days you spent with your father and miss them!"

Cecile quickly chastised him in a firm voice, "Shido! That's so mean!"

"It's alright Cecile. I don't mind. He's just being protective of his sister. It's what a big brother is suppose to do. He _should_ be wary of a freak like me."

Mana held the boy's hands more tightly. "You're not a freak Tonomachi. You just have a gift that your father wants to exploit for his own ends. You're exactly like us. But if you want to, and if you let us. We can help you get away from that."

"How?" he asked with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Cecile clapped her hands, "Let's take him to Ellen. She'll know how to go about this. She's deals with this sort of thing all the time."

The four started walking away into the city, and after a while KURUMI stepped out from a tree behind them and then a second from another tree. "You did your job perfectly. This worked out very nicely."

"I thought you wanted to kill Cecile?"

"I did. And I do. But this turn of events couldn't be more interesting. I'm really curious about that boy now. I want to know more. I've always known there was something strange about him. But this is more interesting than anything I imagined."

* * *

Later that evening, outside the Military base.

"This is the Overseer. The grail has appeared," said Waver over the communication line. He stood in a dark place away from the main road as he observed a military truck and its escorts leaving the army base.

Shirou passed some mana through his mystic code to don his battle gear and then traced his bow. He was standing in the middle of a deserted road a few kilometers away from the base.

"This is Servant Archer, I'm in position," he said into his earpiece.

Ryouko crouched down and concealed herself behind some bushes about half a kilometer away from the ambush point. With her wiring suit and combat realizer it wouldn't take her very long to join the action once it started. "This is Servant Berserker. Ready and waiting. Will you tell me now why I'm Berserker?"

"It's because of the way you fight," answered Shirou. "Saber are you ready?"

"Yes. Servant Saber is ready and waiting. Just give the word!" Tohka stood about a hundred meters away from Shirou and was prepared to ambush the rear guards while he handled the front.

Waver's apprentice, the young girl whose name was Gray had infiltrated the army base. Once there she discreetly made her way into one of the buildings and hid herself outside the main security office. "This is Servant Lancer. I am in position," she said very softly into her communication device.

"Understood Lancer. All Servants are in position. Once Archer gives the signal, let the Holy Grail War Commence."

"Last chance to back out if you want to Berserker. Once you do this, there's no going back."

Ryouko sighed, "Not a chance in hell of that. Even if I didn't like you so much, knowing what I know, there's no way I can go back to the way things were. DEM started a war. I'm a soldier and I've chosen my side."

"As long as you know what you're getting into, then I'm glad to have you on our side."

"They're the ones who don't know what they got into. They messed with our baby girls, and I'm going to maul them like an angry mama bear! Also next time, I'm picking out all our code names!"

"Understood Berserker. I have eyes on the grail now. Prepare for battle," replied Shirou.

He then eyed his target carefully in the distance. It was a heavily armored truck with a machine gun turret on the top. It was being escorted by two armored vehicles. Probably all full of soldiers on the inside as well ready and waiting for trouble. But these were all DEM soldiers, probably with Wizards among them. His attack had to be quick and decisive. Powerful, but with precision. The escorts needed to be taken out of the equation quickly without damaging the cargo they were escorting.

 _Never had such a perfect occasion for this before now…_

He traced and reconfigured a sword which he then loaded into his bow and drew it back. His eyes locked on the exact spot he wanted to hit. Mana began to glow around him for a moment while he chanted, "I am the bone of my sword…"

As the convoy came into position, " **Mmaagha Kamalu!"** he yelled loudly before he released the sword and let it fly.

"Lancer. You may proceed," said Waver.

Gray nodded to herself and stood up from her hiding place, she turned a corner used her lance to impale an electrical control box which shut down the security systems. She didn't linger there long though because her next target was waiting for her. She kicked down a door and walked into the security control room, men and women with guns stood up and pointed them at her.

Meanwhile outside the base the sword impaled in the ground began to glow red and everything began to shake. The road began to crack and the convey ended up falling into the earth as a massive sinkhole opened up beneath them.

 _Mmaagha Kamalu, a sword from Nigerian myth. Belonging to the Igbo god of war, Kamalu. The sword glows red when people with what its wielder considers to be evil intentions are nearby. The sword that I believe inspired Sting from Lord of the Rings. When impaled into the ground, it causes an earthquake all around it. On an asphalt road, instant sinkhole._

Shirou allowed his bow to dissolve and then traced his twin swords. "Saber, Berserker, attack now!"

Shirou ran towards the newly created sink hole with his swords ready while Tohka did the same with Sandalphon and her Astral Dress prepared.

 _If Gray did her job right, we should be long gone before anyone knows what's happened here, and the DEM staff manning the Spirit Detection equipment should already be dead by now. So Tohka is free to go all out. Which means I also need to go all out. Can't let those Wizards start picking a proper fight now._

Shirou flooded his swords, they enlarged and began to crackle with power. Once he was close enough he leapt up into the air and threw them down at the armored vehicle one by one. The first exploded on contact with the armor and blew it open while the second passed through and exploded on the inside killing the occupants.

Tohka took to the sky and slashed downwards at the second armored vehicle sending wave after wave of purple glowing kinetic energy down on the truck, slicing through it and shredding it and the occupants without mercy.

As the escorts were being taken out, Ryouko flew up high and around machine gun fire from the turret on top of the truck. She came prepared for this with a large cannon and returned fire, quickly destroying it. She then moved to the back of the armored truck and dialed the keypad for the locks. The long armored truck had fallen into the earth at a forty-five degree angle so she had to struggle a bit to open the heavy door, even with her wiring suit granting her enhanced strength.

Once the door was open she drew her sidearm and dropped her realizer before going inside as the wide wingspan would impede her in the narrow space of the truck. There were two men inside who started shooting at her so she dropped down onto her back and started sliding down to them along the floor while shooting back at them, killing both before she made it to the bottom and her objective.

A combat realizer unit with large twin barreled cannons and other equipment mounted throughout. Standard realizers were simply nothing compared to the firepower this unit carried. With a big smirk on her face she picked up the wiring suit that came with the unit and plugged its backpack into the dock and the whole thing vanished into the suit.

 _The things a mother does for her daughter. Can't have this one staying with DEM, Origami will make much better use of it I'm sure._

"This is Berserker. The Grail has been acquired. Do I get to make a wish now?"

"That depends on what it is…" answered Shirou.

"I want to eat a big fat juicy steak when we get back to your house!"

"Oh! Oh! Me too! Me too!" exclaimed Tohka with all of her cheerful enthusiasm.

"I think that can be arranged," said an amused Shirou.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** My deepest apologies for how long this took to get out. I was feeling a little depressed and uninspired recently, so I needed a little break to recharge.

 **Chapter Seventeen**

Breakfast was soon going to be served in the Tohno mansion and Kurumi was still asleep. Origami volunteered to go wake her up but Kotori had beaten her to it and rushed out of the dining room to go wake the slumbering Nightmare.

Origami sat back down and informed one of the two maids that Kurumi would probably most enjoy a Japanese breakfast when asked if they should prepare that or a Western breakfast. She then politely excused herself for a moment.

Kotori made her way to the guest room where Kurumi slept and slowly opened the door to peek inside. The first thing she noticed were the older girl's cloths strewn about. As she walked in her eyes were immediately drawn to the bed. Kurumi was fast asleep with her game console still active beside her pillow. She was sleeping on top of the covers in a loose tank top and panties.

 _I already knew she was a total slob, but eesh!_

Kotori crept over to the bedside and peeked at the game console, it was some kind of sci-fi visual novel she was playing judging from the character on the screen waiting for her response. There were some kind of monsters behind the character and some giant robots fighting them. Kurumi was probably up so long she feel asleep at what was probably the best part.

Kotori moved in closer still and started nudging the slumbering ex-spirit and mage of darkness. "Kurumi! You need to wake up! Breakfast will be served soon!"

Kurumi groaned in irritation and covered her head with her pillow, knocking over her game console in the process. "Damn it Kotori. Let me sleep!"

"You wouldn't have a hard time waking up if you didn't stay up all night playing visual novels!" yelled Kotori next to the older girl's covered head.

"Visual Novels are more interesting than real life, or anime…" she groaned in protest.

"Anime is very interesting! But you're right, they suck if they're an unfaithful adaptation of a good visual novel. But anyway! Come on. You gotta wake up and have breakfast already! And how could you let this room turn into such a pig sty?! Come on! Wake up and clean up! Don't make the poor maid do it for you. If you did this in our house, my Pops would have an aneurysm!"

Kurumi just muttered something inaudible while waving a lazy hand at the red haired girl to shoo her off. Kotori snickered in response while easily dodging her hand and then dove in to tickle her into waking.

"You know I'm not ticklish…" she said in a low and emotionless voice.

"I didn't know that. But I bet it still annoys you!" said Kotori with a cheery smile.

Kurumi's red eye opened at Kotori and then suddenly went vacant and void and she stared with a growing and very frightening toothy grin. "But I know you're _very_ ticklish!" she said in her best yandere voice while pulling Kotori into the bed with her where she started to tickle her sides without a shred of mercy. "How dare you disturb my slumber Kotori-chan! I will tickle you to death a thousand times for this!"

"Ahhh! Hahahaha! Stop that! You're so mean! Hahaha! I was just trying to get you up for breakfast!" she exclaimed while giggling hysterically before slithering out of Kurumi's arms. The older girl got up and then started chasing her around the room cackling with insane laughter.

As soon as she found an opening Kotori bolted out of the room as fast as she could run while Kurumi took a deep breath to clear her 'yandere' expression and replaced it with her normal one.

"Since I'm awake now… May as well start the day…" she said to herself before she started picking up her cloths to tidy up as suggested. "Heh… Annoying as it was, I miss the days when she woke me up that way…"

In that instant Kurumi slammed her fist down into the mattress and broke down into an uncontrollable sobbing fit, falling to her knees beside the bed. She quickly grabbed a pillow and screamed into it at the top of her lungs. "Damn it! I missed that so much!"

Meanwhile, Origami peeked around the open door but said nothing as she made her way back to the dining room.

* * *

Kotori was seated beside Origami as breakfast was served to everyone, including at the empty spot reserved for Kurumi as they still awaited her arrival.

"No way. You and Kurumi are going out to practice archery today? Can I come with? Please Origami?"

Origami smiled and pat Kotori on the head, "Of course you can. This disruption in our lives is only temporary. When things get back to normal we're still going to take the school to the nationals and I expect you to be on our team. So we have to keep training you."

"Do you think Kurumi will stay in the school and the team?"

"I hope so. I don't see why she wouldn't."

Kotori threw her lollipop back into her mouth and smiled with satisfaction. "I feel good today. Like I know everything is going to be alright."

"That's because everything is great! We got Kotori here. Origami is here. Even scary Kurumi!" said Yoshinon.

Yoshino smiled cheerfully in response, "Yes. Everything is much better when everyone is together. I just wish Ciel was here too. I miss her."

"She'll be back soon. Then we'll all be able to start being a proper and complete family," said Shiki while reaching over to pet Yoshino on the head.

Kurumi entered the room elegantly dressed and ready for the day. She sleepily wished everyone a good morning before seating herself beside Kotori. "I'm sorry I'm late everyone."

"Rough night?" asked Arcueid to the black haired girl seated across from her.

"Rough life…" she said before putting her hands together about to give thanks when her head turned to look into her blind spot and she saw Kotori there.

Kotori looked at Kurumi's narrowed crimson eye and cringed at her expression. "What is it Kurumi?"

"Even here you spoil your breakfast with treats in the morning?" she said while reaching out to try and snatch the lollipop out of her mouth.

Kotori bit down on the lollipop and groaned in protest as Kurumi tried to pull it out of her mouth.

"Lollipop, lollipop. Oh lolli lolli lolli lollipop," sang Kurumi in a low and cute voice before reaching out to tickle Kotori's side a little which made her release the lollipop with a loud popping sound.

"Got you! Now eat your breakfast!" she said while putting the lollipop into an empty side of her own plate.

Akiha, Shiki, and Arcueid blinked at the little display between the two girls.

"Amazing… Kotori's mother used to do _exactly_ that to get her to part with her lollipops," observed Arcueid.

"No fair… I don't know how you knew about that but you shouldn't abuse that power you have over me…" said Kotori with a depressed voice.

Kurumi reached out to pet her on the head, "Don't spoil your meals by having sweets before you eat and I won't have to," she said with a smile, then put her hands together and gave her thanks before she started eating.

* * *

Later that morning the three girls walked together towards the sports center. Kurumi and Origami with duffel bags containing their change of cloths around their shoulders and their bows wrapped neatly in protective cloths, Kurumi's in white, and Origami's in black.

Kotori couldn't help but remark on that. "That's so cute. You two have your bows wrapped in each other's colors!"

Neither girl took the bait and simply kept walking.

Origami was the first to speak after a moment of silently enforced awkward silence from the older girls. "Kotori. I think it's time we filled you in on why we're really going today."

"You two aren't gonna make me practice all morning while you sneak off to a love hotel are you?"

Kurumi snickered at that, "Under other circumstances, that wouldn't be such a bad idea. But no. Not today. Now listen carefully because you need to be on the same page now. We need your help with this little project."

* * *

Getting Kotori into the sports center turned out not to be an issue as long as she was under their supervision. The staff remembered the two older girls and allowed them all in while Origami paid their fees for the use of the facilities and the use of a bow for Kotori.

"Kotori-chan? Does your Kyudogi fit alright?" asked Kurumi while checking to see how the younger girl was doing.

"Yeah. It fits perfectly. You two got my size exactly right."

"Glad to hear it. Later today we should take you down to that store we shopped at and get you a bow to use. Not that there's anything wrong with the bows they have here. But do you even have your own?"

Kotori shook her head while adjusting her cloths. "No. I guess I never really knew if I was going to take it seriously enough to justify buying my own."

"How do you feel about it now though?" asked Kurumi.

"I think I'm ready to commit to it. So yeah. I think I should have my own bow."

"Good. That's very good. I'm glad to hear it. Come on. Let's get started. Remember, we're just focused on teaching them Kyudo for now. Later we'd like to get them to come hang out with us and then we'll see what we can make of it."

"It was such a sad story… Are you sure you can find a way to help them?"

Kurumi sighed, "I don't know. But I'm going to try my hardest."

* * *

Kurumi started by helping Kotori to correct her posture, "You're too tense Kotori-chan, relax a little."

"Mind your foot placement, you're going to lose your balance that way Kaguya," explained Origami while demonstrating the correct way to stand.

"Yuzuru, you too, you're too rigid in your posture. You're not a robot executing preprogrammed instructions. You need to relax as well," explained Kurumi while correcting the quiet twin's posture.

Kurumi and Origami both stepped away far enough that they could see all three of them. "Alright. Try again you three," the dark haired girl ordered.

All three raised their bows, drew, and fired. Kaguya hit herself with the bow string and her arrow didn't fly far, Kotori's arrow didn't fly straight, and Yuzuru was still far too tense and rigid in her movements for anything resembling proper technique.

"I believe we have much work ahead of us," said Origami.

Kurumi slowly nodded.

Four hours of explanations, practicing, demonstrations, and frustrations later, all three of their students were showing signs of improvement. Kotori was shooting straighter, Kaguya had learned how to properly hold the bow and shoot without hitting herself, and Yuzuru was starting to relax and slowly stop thinking so technically about her movements. It was a subtle difference in the case of the quiet twin, but an important one. Origami had taken a particular interest in the robotic twin as she saw many of her own beginner's mistakes in her while Kurumi noticed that Kotori and Kaguya seemed to be identifying with each other's issues as well which let her give them both her attention and instruction without favoring one over the other.

"Well done Kotori-chan. That was beautiful. You're getting it now," said Kurumi with a proud smile to the youngest girl before moving on to chastise Kaguya for her her own posture.

Kotori couldn't keep the smile off her face and had to take a moment to let the emotion run its course before she managed to recompose herself and resume her practice.

"Kaguya, you need to calm it down. You're being way too dramatic in your postures. Just be natural. Every one of your movements is like a cheesy action movie poster. Take it down a notch. You're not impressing anyone."

"Mere mortals can not comprehend the sheer awesomeness of my-"

Kurumi tapped her on the top of her head with her bow. "Save it for Twitter. Be true to yourself here or you'll never get this."

"Ow…" she moaned softly while rubbing the top of her head.

When Kurumi walked down the range to check with the white haired girl Kaguya leaned over to Kotori. "What's with her?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kotori.

"She's so intense."

"You noticed that huh? She's really nice once you get to know her. But yeah. She's intense. By the way. What are you going to do after we finish with practice?"

"I don't know. Practice more I guess?"

Kotori sighed, "Don't you do anything for fun?"

Kaguya considered it for a moment, "I find this to be fun!"

Kotori shook her head, "Alright. We're all going out after this. You and Yuzuru are coming with us. There's a lot of fun stuff out there you gotta try."

* * *

 _ **Fuyuki**_

Shirou and Waver emerged from a police station, each with a stack of papers and then got into a taxi to head to their next destination.

"Ryuudou Temple please," Shirou told the driver.

He then turned to Waver, "I really can't tell you how much I appreciate this. It would have taken me days to finish all this on my own."

"There's no need to thank me Shirou. Whatever I can do to help make this process as painless as possible, I will do," he answered with his usual serious voice.

"You must care about Taiga a lot if you're going to willingly submit yourself to this. Her father being who he was means getting involved in anything to do with him is going to get a lot of questions asked."

"It's not exactly like that Shirou. It's been thirty years. I just want to help her if I can."

"Doesn't matter how long it's been. Do you care about her?"

"Would I have gotten mixed up in this if I didn't?" he said while holding up the stack of paperwork.

"Probably not. No. I guess I'm just trying to ask what your intentions are? If you have any at all."

Waver sat back in the seat and considered the question. "I don't have any intentions. Even if I did, this wouldn't be the time to pursue them."

"You're right in that it wouldn't be. But. She's still single you know. I don't even know when the last time she was on a date was and she's not getting any younger. Neither are you if I may say so."

The older man chuckled at that, "You're right. I'm not. But like I said this isn't the time for it. I will confess that the thought had crossed my mind. But it has to wait for the proper time."

"When the times comes. You'll have my support. She likes you. I can tell."

"Do you even think she could handle any of this? If she knew the truth?"

"She's need to be eased into it. She saw something once and freaked out. We had to hypnotize her and make her forget what she saw. So when the time comes, have a plan for it."

"I'll keep it in mind. But this isn't the time," added Waver.

"No. It isn't the time."

"Have you thought about making other arrangements for her? It probably won't be safe for her in your home for much longer if we continue to take action."

"I've thought about it. I'm thinking about sending her to Misaki as well. I've already spoken to Akiha Tohno about it. They're willing to take her in. I feel bad about turning their house into a refugee camp but with the way things are going…"

"DEM have been driven out of Italy. But they're not going to take that lying down. Stories about attacks on DEM offices are making the rounds in the mainstream media. Stories about fights between our Enforces and the Wizards are appearing in tabloids. We managed to keep that out of the regular press. But that will only last for so long. In this day and age it's very difficult to maintain secrecy. A war on this scale is bound to attract notice if it escalates any further."

"All that means is that we need to make our next move very soon. Strike while the iron is hot. I think we should plan it for after the Funeral."

"I agree."

* * *

 _ **Misaki**_

"When I asked what you thought we should do, I have to admit this was the last thing that came to mind…" said Origami as she looked at the store in front of her.

Kotori smirked to herself, "Well. If we want to go to the pool, we need swimsuits don't we?"

Kurumi lightly smacked Kotori in the back of her head.

"Hey! What gives?!"

"How do you intend to pay for anything? I'm broke, you're broke, the twins don't have a Yen between them… The only one of us here with any money is Origami. Shouldn't you have run this by her before you brought us here?"

"Well I'm not broke. Akiha gave me a budget for these sorts of things," explained Kotori.

Kurumi nodded, "Uh-huh… Come on. Let's move," she said while pulling Kotori by one of her long red tails.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop that Kurumi!"

"Come on ladies. I know exactly where we can go to have a good time on a reasonable budget."

* * *

"It figures…" said Kotori with weary eyes as she looked at where Kurumi took them. The gaming arcade.

The twins looked around at all the entertainments being offered by the establishment. Kaguya with wide eyed wonder and Yuzuru with indifference.

"Keep an eye on them Kotori," ordered Kurumi before walking towards the cashier with Origami.

Origami was about to pay but Kurumi stopped her, "Naa. Let me get this."

The white haired girl gave Kurumi a very skeptical eye. "How exactly do you plan to accomplish this?"

Kurumi pulled out her wallet (her actual wallet) and handed the cashier a membership card. "Could you tell me if this is still valid? It's been awhile since I was last here."

The cashier took the card and swiped it through the computer to check its balance. "Hmm… Must be some kind of glitch in the system. It should be valid but there's no information coming up. That's never happened before. If you don't mind waiting I could try and resolve this with my manager?"

Kurumi sighed, "That won't be necessary. Could I just pay cash?"

The cashier handed her five cards, "You just take these to any of the machines and place your cash into it to top up the cards."

Kurumi nodded, "I remember. Thank you so much," she said before the two walked away.

"Did that mean what I think it means?" asked Origami.

"Yeah… I don't exist here anymore either."

"I'm sorry if this experience has caused you any pain."

"Don't be. As long as we have fun. That's what's important."

* * *

The first thing Kaguya and Yuzuru wanted to do was challenge each other to every two player game available, starting with the air hockey table. But rather than let them, Kurumi suggested they team up against Kotori and Origami.

"Why don't you play with Origami? Isn't she your girlfriend?" asked Kotori with a tone of annoyance.

"Awww. That's so cute. You sound jealous. Afraid I'm going to steal your best friend from you?" asked Kurumi with a sly voice.

"Impossible," stated Origami with finality. "She will always be my best friend."

"And there you have it. You're also playing at this because of one simple reason," Kurumi said while pointing at her eye, "Depth perception is good for games like this. I don't have that."

Kotori sighed and turned to Origami, "Shall we kick their butts Senpai?"

Origami nodded her head and turned her attention to the table where she took up one of the paddles while Kurumi paid for the game and got it started. Origami took the puck out of the dispenser and set it down on the table, she gave it a solid whack with her paddle and sent it flying towards the goal on the other side of the table.

The twins both went for it. But instead of hitting it back they instead started knocking each other's paddles around, fighting over who would get to hit it back while the puck sailed smoothly into the goal.

Kurumi palmed her face while they started arguing over who would serve it.

Kotori groaned in irritation, "Would one of you just serve the damn puck? Who gives a crap who does it let's just play!"

 _Damn it, they're suppose to be sisters. The way they act with each other is just wrong. But maybe this is what Kurumi wants out of this? She must want them to team up and learn to co-operate. That way they can learn about being sisters._

Origami groaned in irritation and looked over at Kotori and then back at the twins.

 _If we're going to have any chance of this we need to hold a carrot in front of them. Something to get them to stop competing with each other and compete with us instead. Kotori can probably antagonize them into considering us their mutual enemy. I on the other hand… I'm not sure what I can do to motivate them._

Origami looked over at Kurumi and their eyes met. Sensing Origami's inner conflict Kurumi simply gave her a nod and then turned to the twins.

"Alright. I think I know how to motivate this match. The winning team gets to make the losers do _anything_ they want."

Kotori blinked. "Wait… WHAT?!"

"Are you afraid we'll lose?" asked Origami in a calm voice to her best friend.

"What?! No way! You and I can't lose! It's impossible!"

"Impossible you say?" asked Kaguya with a devilish grin. "Shall we put that to the test Yuzuru?"

"Taunt. Put forth your greatest effort. It will only provide us greater satisfaction when we defeat you."

Kurumi smiled very happily, "Oh. I think it's on now!"

* * *

"This is so undignified…" said Kotori as she massaged the shoulders of Kaguya.

"We lost. That is all there is to it," said Origami while giving Kaguya a hand massage.

"I have to admit, those two know how to live it up," said Kurumi with a big smirk as she took a sip of her cold drink in the Arcade's lounge. "Though, I have to wonder. How exactly are you two so good at every single game in this arcade?"

"Our competitions of course. We've battled each other across every one of these games in our thirty-third contest to see which of us would be the master of the arcade. It was a draw," explained Kaguya.

Yuzuru tilted her head slightly at Kurumi. "Perplexion. One might ask you and Origami a similar question. How is it the both of you excel as you do in archery?"

Kotori and Origami each turned their heads towards Kurumi and suddenly the ebon haired magus was on the spot with all eyes on her.

"Well…" she started before taking a breath, "I suppose the story of Kyudo is the story of my life…" she lowered her head with a hand held to her chin as she took a long moment to gather her thoughts.

In that moment Origami took a sharp breath and her eyes darted to Kotori who was listening with inquisitive eyes locked on Kurumi's crimson eye as it rapidly shifted from the left to the right.

* * *

The next day they were back at the sports center, on the archery range, dressed and ready with their bows. Kotori was holding a brand new bow in her hand as she notched an arrow and started her draw. It was a black carbon fibre bow. It wasn't what Kurumi or Origami prefered but it was ideal for a beginner, particularly one who wasn't as obsessed with the practice as they were.

" _It's not an easy thing to put into words," Kurumi started again. "For me, Kyudo is a search. Growing up I was never sure what I wanted to do with my life. Every path was open to me. I excelled in school, I could master everything I put my mind to. But when I started looking for a goal to achieve in the long term. I came up with nothing. Kyudo was something my father introduced me to one day but that I just wasn't interested in."_

Compared with the previous day the twins were much more engaged. Origami was instructing Yuzuru while Kurumi was instructing Kaguya. Both divided their attention between their respective students and Kotori. There wasn't anything difficult about what was being taught today. The focus was entirely on the fundamentals. Which was what Kyudo was really all about when you stripped away all the pointless aspects of sport and competition. It was something that was easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Kurumi and Origami each took some time out to get in a few shots while their three students watched them. Each took a turn to shoot while the other watched to asses their movements and technique. To the untrained eye, both moved like a mirror image of the other as they went through the eight steps. But to an experienced eye, the differences between them were many.

" _I suppose I was in a phase where I wasn't really receptive to what Kyudo had to offer. Back then I was more interested in what my magecraft had to offer me. One day, a few years after that particular day. I got to see a proper Kyudo Master giving a demonstration. The way he practiced Kyudo was very different from the way I saw my father do it. For him it was all about hitting the target. I found that boring. I could hit that target every time. There's nothing challenging about that for me. I think Origami knows what I'm talking about here..."_

Origami watched as Kurumi went through all eight steps to launch four arrows at the target. Kotori and twins were more impressed with her accuracy than they were with her posture, but that was what Origami was watching. Kurumi had a relaxed and calm posture, one that wasn't weighed down by doubts or self-consciousness. Her draw had certainty to it, her release had hints of pride. Her arrows existed in the target long before she'd fired them, and she knew it. There was almost an arrogance to her finishing stance as she brought her fists back to her hips. But these feelings she demonstrated in her postures, it was evident to Origami that they were things which she was struggling to discard from herself. Things she wasn't proud of, but not ashamed to show.

" _Indeed. I know exactly what you are talking about. When you practice any other Martial Art, you have an opponent. Someone to challenge you. Someone to push you to your limits and beyond. Someone to overcome. But in Kyudo. There is no opponent. There is no one to defeat. There is only yourself. When I see the Masters practice in the Dojo, I wasn't merely impressed. I felt my heart move... the stillness, the calmness, the clarity... you can feel it."_

Kurumi stepped back while Origami stepped up to take her place, she sat seize with her bow and began to prepare herself. It was boring to the three beginners to watch. But to Kurumi it was the most beautiful thing her one eye could ever see in her life. As she notched her arrow and began to rise up from her seated position through the steps she became as transparent as glass to the raven haired girl. Origami had the outward calm of a still winter's day. But she was a raging blizzard just beneath the surface of her carefully maintained façade.

 _Origami nodded to Kurumi, "I told Kotori once that I didn't believe in spirituality. But you can't deny the existence of something like it when you practice Kyudo properly. Anyone can be taught the steps. They can go through them, fire an arrow, and hit a target. They can make it all look right. But that isn't Kyudo. We all have our demons and our fears that we have to face. In something like Kendo, you have someone to fight. Someone to push you against those fears. But in Kyudo there is no such thing. You are up against only yourself. When you understand this, you understand that hitting the target is meaningless unless you know what you're aiming for."_

Origami's draw was aggressive. But as she prepared to release it became clear that she wasn't interested in hitting the target. Hitting the target was just a side effect of what she was really doing. The target wasn't what was down range of her. The target was actually herself. That became clear in the relief which was evident in her posture after she released the string. The arrow was a part of herself that she didn't want, and she was loading her negativity into the arrow and discarding it. Origami was a practitioner who took the concept of doing battle with yourself to an extreme.

Kurumi couldn't help but look away. "You're still the same in the way you shoot Origami," she said to her as she approached to start exchanging notes. "When you shoot, you're not launching an arrow. It's more like… Instead of an arrow, you're notching in a part of yourself that you want to get rid of. And you're shooting it at a version of yourself that you want to defeat. You take this all very literally, but it's still so beautiful to see."

Origami inclined her head slowly at the compliment, "And you are arrogant. There's no other way to describe the way you shoot. You're good and you know it. You're not proud of it, but you also aren't ashamed of it. It's a part of yourself that you accept and embrace, but also want to discard. You just don't know how."

Kotori scratched the top of her head, "You two drew those conclusions from watching each other shoot arrows?"

Kurumi and Origami both turned to Kotori. She and the twins were sitting seiza against the back wall where they could watch the two practice.

"For you Kotori, it's still about hitting the target. Executing the eight steps is still about making it look right," explained Origami.

Kurumi slowly nodded in agreement. "If you were as devoted to this as we are. You'd see the subtle differences in our postures and techniques and be able to interpret them. To you this is still a sport. But that's alright. We can both see how much you enjoy it. As long as you take it seriously and not treat it as though it were only a sport, then you'll be able to reach our level as well. You could even surpass us."

"Oration. I believe I now comprehend the purpose and practice of Kyudo. However, I fear my words alone may not be sufficient to properly express my thoughts on the matter. At least not at this time."

Kaguya looked at her twin sister and nodded, "Yeah. I think I get what you're saying too. Can we try this again?"

Kurumi and Origami both gestured towards the targets. And then stepped aside. "By all means," said the ivory haired girl.

"That's what we're here for," added the smiling ebony haired girl.

* * *

Kotori stuffed her phone back into her purse before taking a sip of her soft drink at the sports center's cafe. "They're having the funeral tomorrow night at our house."

Kurumi looked away from Kotori. "I see…"

"Sorry… I probably shouldn't have mentioned it."

Kurumi shook her head, "Don't be sorry. I'm not upset with you. This was my fault. I became arrogant. I thought I was infallible. I allowed myself to forget the consequences of even one moment of weakness, and this was the result..." she said through clenched teeth.

Origami reached out to take a hold of her hand for moral support but Kurumi just crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath, she didn't even look in Origami's direction to notice the gesture which was made.

"Anyway… Kaguya. Yuzuru. I'd like to talk to you both about something."

The twins put down their respective drinks and gave the magus their full attention.

Kurumi finally looked at Origami and the silvery haired girl nodded in support.

"I found out what happened to Yamai. How she split into both of you."

"Does that even matter anymore?' asked Kaguya.

"Curiosity. I am wondering the same thing," stated Yuzuru.

"It matters because the way it happened means there's a chance you could both continue to live as you are now."

"That's impossible!"

"Agreement. That seems highly unlikely. Request. Please provide details."

All eyes were on Kurumi as she slowly nodded her head and sat back.

"Yamai was captured by DEM. I don't know how. They experimented on her, specifically they were trying to figure out how to extract a part of her Sephira Crystal. Because their experiment failed and Yamai escaped, the crystal was left damaged from the procedure. Over time the damage grew until the crystal split. Resulting in both of you coming into existence,

It's also because of that the two of you have to eventually recombine your crystal. The reason for this is because it's trying to repair itself. In theory, and with your co-operation, we could find a way to fix your crystals so you won't have to recombine it."

"Querry. How could this be achieved?"

"I don't actually know just yet," started Kurumi and both twins looked like they were ready to jump up and cut her off but he held up a hand to them to say she wasn't finished yet. "I have it on the highest authority that this can actually be done. But without both of you being in agreement and willing to help, I couldn't even begin to figure out how to accomplish this."

Kaguya was livid in her response, "So all you know is that it _can_ be done, but not _how_ it can be done?!"

Kurumi slowly nodded.

"I'm not buying any false hope today you stupid human!"

Kurumi balled a fist and slammed it down on the metal table hard enough to put a dent into it thanks to her self-reinforcement, also knocking down glasses and shattering them. "That's good because I'm not selling any!"

Kurumi then took a deep breath after getting shocked looks from the others around the table while thanking all the higher powers that the establishment itself was empty except for one waitress who felt it wise to keep her distance for now.

"I'm not just a stupid human… Until very recently I was a spirit like you. So I know what I'm talking about… The only question the two of you need to figure out the answer to is whether or not you're willing to finally act like sisters, admit you love each other, and start fighting for your mutual survival instead of selfishly competing to see who lives and who dies!"

"That's easy for you to say bitch!" yelled Kaguya.

"Agreement," added Yuzuru in her flat monotone, "You are incapable of comprehending the nature of our situation."

Origami was the only to quickly butt in and offer retort, "You're very wrong about that Yuzuru. Kurumi understands your situation better than you do."

"Dismissal. That is highly unlikely. None of you are capable of understanding our situation."

"Do you two even understand that you're sisters? Do you even know what it means to be sisters?" asked Kurumi. "If you had any clue at all there's no way you wouldn't be jumping at this chance I'm offering you! If you have a sibling, you have to love them with all of your heart, and be prepared to do anything to care for and protect them! No matter the cost!"

"We understand better than you do!" yelled Kaguya. "Of course I know what it means to be sisters! Do you honestly believe that I don't love Yuzuru with all my heart?! Do you seriously believe I'd ever allow her to die for me?! I would rather die myself! There's just no way she'd ever let me!"

"Agreement. That is why we must compete. Neither of us are willing to allow the other to self sacrifice. However, were I ever presented the opportunity I would gladly give up my existence for the sake of my sister, and have attempted to do so on many occasions."

"And that pisses me off so damn much! You're always a martyr! You take everything on yourself and refuse to allow me to ever help you with anything! That's why you ended up such a shallow and emotionless robot!"

Yuzuru shocked everyone at the table by shedding a tear at her sister's words. She then stood up and bent down to talk into her sister's face. If she were able to raise her voice, she'd probably be screaming at the top of her lungs just now. "Refutation. I take those words and throw them back in your direction. Because you're no different."

"I am not an emotionless robot!"

"Clarification. No you are not. However you are a bombastic glory seeker."

As Kaguya stood up and drew a breath to literally yell back in her sister's face Kurumi had already stood up and got between the two to separate them.

" **Enough!** It's obvious you both love each other so why don't you both want to live?! I just told you it's possible but it requires both of you to set this stupid contest aside and help me to help you! The only thing I need is a little bit of your time to help me study the problem so I can devise a solution!"

Kaguya sat back down and crossed her arms with a huff, "Well. What do you think? Speak up," she said to her sister.

"Disbelief. I am unconvinced that this is possible. However. I am willing to give Kurumi the benefit of the doubt for now."

Kaguya slowly nodded, "I agree. But if she fails…"

"If I fail. You can do whatever you want with me. I don't care. But I will not fail!" she declared firmly for the twins.

"Maybe we should go back to practicing? Before tempers run amok here?" suggested Kotori.

"I second the motion," added Origami.

* * *

 _ **Fuyuki**_

Shirou waved at Tohka to stay seated while he stood up to go answer the door bell. Behind the front gate were two strangers he'd never seen before in his life. A dark haired man and a red haired woman.

"Good afternoon. May I help you?" he asked them politely.

"Good afternoon. Is this the Emiya residence?" the man asked with the same polite tone.

"Yes it is. I'm Shirou Emiya," he answered with growing curiosity.

"How do you do? We're sorry to intrude on you like this but we have an important matter we'd like to discuss with you. My name is Akio Itsuka. This is my wife, Kasumi. We've been searching for years but it was recently brought to our attention that our daughter Kotori is living here with you. We'd like to see her and bring her home with us."

Shirou tried, but he couldn't keep his eyes from narrowing suspiciously at the couple.

 _After all these years? After Rin and I tried to find her living relatives. After everything that's been happening recently? Now they show up at my door? Too much of a coincidence..._

"I had to send Kotori away for a short while to stay with some relatives. We've recently had a tragedy in the family so I thought it was best she not be here for this. Funerals and grief. She's had enough of that in her life I think."

Shirou didn't get the reaction he was searching for from them. They looked annoyed instead of concerned. He could have misread their expressions, but whatever the case, it wasn't what he'd look like in their place.

"Would you like to come in and discuss this? We're preparing for a funeral right now but I can spare you some time."

* * *

Shirou brought the couple into his living room and invited them to sit at is table. Tohka quickly brought out some tea to serve their guests before taking a seat beside Shirou.

"You're very pretty miss. Are you his wife?" the woman asked.

Tohka blushed and shook her head, "No. I'm not. I came here from America to learn about Japan and stay with this family for a while. They've been so very kind and helpful and allowed me to stay indefinitely because I don't think I want to go back."

 _Tohka… You're amazing. I have to tell you that after this._

"I see. I'm sorry I misunderstood," she apologized.

Shirou took a quick breath before he started speaking again, "I'm a widower. My wife passed away three years ago. Now it's just me and my daughter."

"She's our daughter..." the man said with an annoyed tone.

Shirou closed his eyes and put up his hand. "I understand how you must feel. But until you can prove it. You're just two strangers who came to my door asking to see _**my daughter.**_ " Shirou gestured to the pictures on the walls around them. "Please have a look around. The pictures can tell the story. My wife, may she rest in peace, put up all these here. You'll see Kotori in almost all of them after we adopted her. She became our whole world."

"Do you know what her favorite food is? What her favorite color is? What her favorite toy is? Do you even know her real name?" the woman asked with desperation bleeding into her voice.

 _Are you being serious right now lady?_

Shirou was stupefied, but otherwise unmoved. "American Hamburgers. That's her favorite food. Her favorite color is black, because it's a strong color. She was never interested in toys, as a child she liked to read manga and watch anime. As a teenager she only likes those things more. Her grades are in the top ten of her school. She's a rising star in the Archery Club. And her real name... is _Kotori Emiya_."

"Her name is Kotori **Itsuka**! She likes to play with dolls. She likes to eat cookies. Her favorite color is white!" the woman yelled viciously before being embraced by her husband.

Shirou shook his head, "She'll be fifteen next week. She's not a child anymore. She's a teenager. She's highly intelligent. She's skillful with technology. She's strong willed and hard headed. She doesn't take crap from anyone. She's respected by her peers, and she's loved by her family."

"Her birthday is in August! And she'll only be fourteen!" the woman protested.

"We celebrate the day we adopted her as her birthday. Obviously we had no way of knowing what her actual birthday is. We just had a guesstimate of her age. Obviously her intelligence puts her ahead if she's actually turning fourteen this year."

"You're a single father Emiya-san. Perhaps she'd be better off with us?" the man asked trying to sound reasonable.

"I'm a single father yes. But I'm not alone in raising her. She has an aunt who lives here with us. We have Tohka who's 'unofficially-officially' become a member of our family. She has aunts, and an uncle in another city whom she's staying with right now. Along with a cousin who's just a bit younger than her. She has a best friend who sets a good example for her and who always supports and encourages her. She's hard working. She's getting the best possible education. She had the third highest grades in junior high. She's in the top ten in High School now. Her best friend by the way, is the number one. Kotori is smarter than all of us here combined. I couldn't be more proud of her. So before you come into my home and think about imposing yourselves on us and disrupting her life. Think about all of that."

"I have a right to have my daughter back!" the woman yelled furiously.

Shirou nodded his head, "Yes. Of course you do. But unless she actually wants to go with you that isn't going to happen. I will fight to the death for my daughter. We legally adopted her. After an exhaustive search for you I might add. The government tried to locate you. We hired a skilled investigator to look for you. It was like you didn't even exist. Everyone assumed you'd died in the fire and there was no trace of you. I'm very sorry this happened to you. But I _will_ protect my daughter. Even from you if I have to. So if you want to fight me in the courts to take her back, that is your right, and I invite you to try. But I warn you. If you care at all about her. Remember that it could take years in the courts. She'll be an adult and on her way to university before we get a decision. And the only thing you'll have brought her is grief."

"We could just take her back the way you took her from us," the man said with a leveled tone at Shirou.

Shirou sighed and shook his head, completely unimpressed "I've been threatened by greater beings than you Itsuka-san. Don't go there. Instead of making threats. Perhaps we should try being reasonable adults? Let's try to think about what is in Kotori's best interests, and go from there."

"Being with her real parents! You couldn't ever love her like we do! We've been searching for her for years!"

 _I don't need Kotori's bull shit detector for that one…_

Shirou sighed, "I'm not sure why you haven't found her before now. My wife and I made no effort to hide her from you or anyone. We did everything properly. I can show you all the paperwork, right now. And another thing, I understand your grief. I want us all to resolve this in a civilized manner, but I'd just like to ask you to remember that you are in _my_ home, and I will _not_ tolerate another slight about my love for my daughter. The love I have for her is not for anyone to question. Not even you."

"There's no need to be antagonistic Emi-"

Shirou's head snapped to the man and he spoke very firmly with him, "You came into my home and threatened to take away my daughter. Don't talk about being antagonistic. Now. If you want to visit with Kotori, _under the supervision of my family_ , that can be arranged after she comes back from my brother's house."

 _Damn it. My tongue slipped. If anyone tells Shiki I said that, I'm going to deny it and be very angry!_

"Why can't you get her back here now?! We've been searching for her for five years!"

"Then you should be able to wait a little longer to see her again? I think Shirou probably already explained we're about to host a funeral here? He doesn't want Kotori to be here for that. It's going to be a big funeral with a lot of people coming from all over Japan to pay their respects. It's going to be very sad," explained Tohka.

"Yes. We read about Raiga Fujimura in the newspaper… The fact that you're close enough to a dirty criminal like that is cause for even more concern about if this is the right environment for our daughter," said the dark haired man.

Shirou slapped his hands down on the table in exasperation. "Alright. That's it," he said while standing up. "You've threatened my daughter, questioned my love for her, and now you've insulted the man who was like a grandfather to me. I'd like you both out of my house now. I gave you every opportunity to be civilized about this but I'm afraid that's no longer possible."

"Wait! Please! Before you throw us out? May I have a look around? I want to see where my daughter grew up," the red haired woman asked with desperation.

Shirou now knew where Kotori got her looks from. Her mother's daughter whichever way one looks at it. But he wasn't going to have this. He shook his head and gestured towards the doorway. "That's a perfectly reasonable request. But I'm afraid your husband has worn out your welcome here. I'd like you both to leave and not come back. I won't ask a third time. If you want to continue this. I suggest you hire a lawyer."

* * *

 **Misaki**

Shiki Tohno waited patiently outside the junior high school with a small smile on his face. There were good memories in this place. A few bad ones too but those aren't the ones he chose to focus on. He only had to wait a few minutes before Yoshino came walking out, a bright smile on her face when she saw him waiting there for her. Both Yoshino and Yoshinon were wearing the school uniform which he couldn't help but find adorable beyond the ability of words to express.

"Hey Yoshino. And Yoshinon. How was your day?" he asked them once they were near enough.

"It was nice. I learned how to bake cookies today," she said while reaching into her bag to pull out a plastic bag of cookies. "Would you like to try one?"

Shiki took the bag from her with a proud smile, opened it and took one out to try before resealing it and handing it back to her. "Mmm! This is really good! It's like perfectly sweet!"

"She worked super hard on them!" declared Yoshinon.

"I don't doubt it. So the girls are all at the Sports Center practicing Kyudo today. Would you like to go see them and then we can all walk home together?"

Yoshino looked up at the taller bespectacled man and nodded with a bright smile. "That sounds nice. But what is Kyudo? They seeme to like it a lot."

"It means 'the way of the bow' which is basically Japanese Archery. If you wanted to give it a try I'm sure they'd be happy to teach you."

Yoshino nodded, "If it looks fun I'll try it."

"That's good. You should try new things whenever you get the chance. You need to find interests and hobbies. They help make life more enjoyable and fun," explained Shiki.

"Do you have any hobbies?" the little girl wondered.

"Well sure I do. Unfortunately I had to grow up to learn to appreciate things like that. As a young man I was… Well. I'm not sure what my excuse was. Meeting Ciel and Arcueid changed me a lot. Anyway. To answer the question I like reading. I also enjoy batting cages."

"Batting cages? What's that?"

"Ahh. It's this thing where you stand with a basebal bat and hit balls that are thrown at you. It was actually Kotori's mother who introduced me to it. I found it to be a lot of fun and she needed someone to compete with because her husband couldn't swing a bat to save his life."

"Everyone always talks about Kotori's mother. It's like she's still here somehow even though I know she's gone…"

"She was an outstanding woman and we all miss her very much. But we're off topic now. You should try finding things you enjoy doing. Sports, martial arts, games, crafting, a hobby can be anything. For example, Akiha practices Aikido. She got into that when she was in High School. Ciel is into costume design. And Arcueid loves photography. She started out as a model but got curious about being on the other end of the camera and now she's a full time fashion photographer."

"What's Aikido?"

"It's a kind of martial art. You should probably actually talk to her about that. It's a way of fighting without actually hurting the person who's attacking you. Rather you make them hurt themselves with whatever it was they were trying to do to you. I don't fully understand it myself incase that wasn't painfully obvious."

"I don't want to hurt anyone… Why is there so much violence in everything?"

Shiki sighed, "Violence can't always be avoided. It's a sad reality of the world we live in. But it was just a suggestion. You could try art, dance, writing, I don't know… There's so much out there you have yet to be exposed to. So many wonderful things in this world I want you to be able to experience."

Yoshino was about to respond when Shiki's phone started to ring. After a moment to get it out of his pocket he narrowed his eyes in irritation before answering the call and bringing it up to his ear. "What's up Satan?"

"Very funny Tohno."

"Oh I'm sorry Emiya. I guess I mixed up your number with someone else."

"I don't have time to screw around with you right now. Are you with Kotori? I'm trying to reach her but her phone's off," explained an anxious Shirou.

"The girls all went to the sports centre near our house to practice Kyudo. That's probably why her phone's off. I'm actually on my way there now, I just picked up Yoshino from school. Don't worry, they're perfectly safe there."

"When you see her, have her call me. It's important," he said in a tone which implied dire consequences should he fail to be prompt in reaching her.

"Don't take that tone of voice with me Emiya! I'll be there in fifteen minutes, give or take. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Just one more thing…" Shirou took a deep breath and paused for a long moment before speaking again, "Thank you. For looking after them."

"You don't have to thank me for that Shirou. I hate you. But your family is my family. Besides. Someone has to make sure Kotori doesn't turn out like you."

"Yeah? Well it's a good thing Akiha is there to make sure she doesn't become like you either!" he yelled before hanging up the phone.

Shiki sighed and hung up his phone. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Silly Shirou."

* * *

Later that night Kotori sat on her bed with the phone in her ear listening to her father explain the story of what happened that afternoon. She sat silently, her eyes devoid of anything resembling life as the worst possible outcomes of the situation ran through her mind.

"Kotori-chan? Are you there?"

"I'm here Pops…"

"You're very quiet. It's not like you."

"I love you. I want to stay with you. I don't care who they are. The whole thing could have been a misunderstanding with everyone's emotions running high. But even if they were perfect saints… You're my father. Not him. And I won't insult my **REAL** mother's memory by ever calling someone else by that name."

"Would you be willing to at least meet them at some point? Explain your feelings on the matter yourself? That might make things easier."

"I'll think about it. But my first instinct is that I'd rather have nothing to do with them. They insulted our family in our own house. That's not a good first impression."

"They told me when your actual birthday is. Do you want to know?"

"No. I don't. My birthday is next week. I don't give a crap when I was actually born. The day I became your daughter is all I care about!"

"I never doubted it. I just thought you deserved to know everything that's happened here."

"I appreciate it Pops. I guess I'll meet them if it'll make them go away and leave us alone. But I don't want anything to do with them. I like my life just fine the way it is… But..."

"But what?"

"But… I wish all these bad things would stop happening to us. It seems like that for every good thing we have, we get two bad things for it. What did we do to deserve this Karma?"

Shirou chuckled into the phone, "I don't think that's the reason for it Kotori. If I'm going to be perfectly honest. I suspect there's more to it than these people wanting their daughter back. They should have been able to find you years ago if they really wanted to. So I'd like you to be extra vigilant and never be anywhere alone. First DEM tried to kidnap you, and now this. I don't know what they want with you but I'd really rather not find out."

"We know someone who probably knows but isn't telling us. I think I should go get some answers out of her and I'll get back to you with what I find out."

"Be careful Kotori…From experience I can tell you that this sort of thing only does more harm than good. I obviously can't stop you if you choose to pursue this. But just be careful. You might not like what you find out."

"I already know that Pops. But I'd like it even less if something like this split us up for good!"

"That won't happen Kotori. You know I won't let it. I'll use every resource I have, call in every favor, I'll fight tooth and nail if I have to. Not even over my dead body will someone take you away from your life."

"I love you Pops."

"I love you too Kotori-chan. Be smart, and be safe."

"I will. Take care, and tell Aunt Taiga I love her too. And Tohka as well."

"I will. I'll call you tomorrow to check up on you. Don't turn off your phone."

"I was on the archery range…"

"I know that now. But I didn't know that earlier. Send me a message next time."

"I will. I promise."

After hanging up the phone Kotori let it drop from her hand onto the bed before falling over and curling herself up into a fetal position. There she remained perfectly still for not less than twenty minutes before Origami knocked on the door and let herself in. It was almost dinner time and Kotori was the one who was late this time.

"Kotori?" she asked with concern as she slowly made her way over to to her best friend laying on the bed. "I take it your conversation with your father didn't go well?" she followed up before moving aside Kotori's phone and then sitting down on the bed beside her.

After a minute of silence, Origami gently placed a hand on Kotori's shoulder. Silently letting her know she was there for her.

"I miss my mother. I wish she was here now. Everything would be alright if she were here," said Kotori in the saddest voice Origami had ever heard from her. Her heart shattered at how helpless her normally exceptionally strong friend sounded.

"For what it's worth. You're not alone. More than you know, you are _not_ alone."

"I know I sound so selfish. You lost both of your-"

"That's not what I mean Kotori. I only mean that you don't have to shoulder this alone. I'm here for you. And you're also surrounded by family here. We'll all help each other through these difficult times."

Kotori put her hand on Origami's, taking off her shoulder and holding it tightly. "I don't know what to do… It's easy to sound strong for my father's sake. But I feel so alone. Even though I know what you told me is true."

"Why don't you come have dinner with us. Then you and I can sit down and talk it all through. Whatever it is. I will support you."

Kotori nodded her head and slowly sat up with Orgami's help. Suddenly she grabbed and embraced her tightly. "I love you Origami. You're my sister."

Origami winced internally at the remark. "I'm your best friend. And I do love you very much. I'll always be here for you. I'll always be on your side. Know that."

 _This has to stop. It used to make me feel good to know she thought of me that way. But not it just hurts… She has to know she has a real sister who loves her more than anything in the world. I can't lie about it… But I can't tell her unless she asks me. The truth has to come out. Kotori needs her sister. And Kurumi needs her family. Neither of them are as strong as they pretend to be. I'll find a way to make it happen. Everyone deserves to be happy. And their happiness is standing right in front of them..._


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** I apologize for how long I've left you all hanging. I put my all into finishing our Star Wars/Familiar of Zero story. After that I've had a lot of personal and professional problems that needed to be resolved and I didn't have the time or energy to put much work into my fictions.

Now that life is starting to settle back into a somewhat normal flow I'm back to work on this story which is my solo project, and Gundam Imperium which I work on with my team. There are also other unannounced team projects in the works as well with differents lead writers so it won't eat into my time too much beyond brainstorming, reading, and editing.

As always, the support for this story is overwhelming and deeply appreciated! Your reviews, messages, favorites and follows always touch me. I thank you all!

Let's start our date!

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen**

Origami lightly knocked on the slightly open door of Kurumi's room. There was only a very soft light emanating from inside the room, by the angle she judged it to come from the bedside. The raven haired magus was playing a game on her handheld console. The thought of it momentarily infuriated her, but she quickly crushed that emotion under ten metric tons worth of reason and logic. Kurumi had no idea what was going on with her sister right now, from her perspective, all was relatively well and there was no need to be concerned or alarmed at this moment.

When there was no response to her knocking, she gave another slightly louder knock. When there was no response to that she simply walked in and found Kurumi laying with her back on the bed, mercifully fully clothed, with her face glued to the screen of her handheld game console and headphones blocking her hearing. It appeared that Kurumi had, for the second time since coming to this mansion, fully dropped her guard. Or at least it was the second time that Origami had caught her with her guard down. Once was a fluke. Twice was a dangerous pattern which needed to be corrected.

But as she drew closer, Origami was brutally reminded that nothing was ever what it seemed. Especially when it came to Kurumi Emiya. When she was in a position to look upon her face, she saw that tears were streaming down out of her crimsoned eye. Her white eyepatch, while not leaking, was unmistakably soaking wet from the tears. She wasn't sure, but it didn't seem healthy to keep the eye patch on and let it soak like that. An empty eye socket could get infected. She made a note to take Kurumi to a place where they could fit her with a prosthetic. It couldn't have been healthy to just leave it like that.

She gently seated herself down on the side of the bed and just watched Kurumi play whatever she was playing. She couldn't see what was on the screen, but she could see the look of pain on her face.

It was only a few minutes later when she put the console down and took the buds out of her ears. A deep breath indicated she was about to speak, but no words came out. Prompting Origami to ask first. But just before she was going to speak, Kurumi beat her to it.

"How can I help them. When I can't even help my own sister?"

Origami was about to answer when Kurumi spoke up again.

"How can I help anyone when my very existence has become a testament to my failures?"

Origami shook her head, "That isn't true. If anything, your existence is a testament to your tenacity."

"Or my masochism…" she droned out with a snort.

"I gather by your current state, that you overheard my talk with Kotori?"

A small nod of the head was the only answer given.

 _This is insufferable…_

With that thought firmly in mind Origami stood up and stepped over to the door where she shut and locked it before turning around to face Kurumi again. Now even more thoroughly displeased to find the former spirit staring up at the ceiling in an almost catatonic state.

 _It's time to start taking action._

"You are going to tell me. Right here. Right now," she stated forcefully while walking back over towards the bed, "Why won't you tell her the truth?" she added once she was standing directly over Kurumi. "From where I'm standing, you're doing more harm than good to her!"

"When she was little, she clung to me. She loved our mother very much. So very much. But she clung to me all the time. I was like a security blanket for her. She was shy, timid, utterly harmless, and so completely adorable. The Kotori you know, only came out when we gave her a lollipop as a treat for when it was time to start working on her magecraft. That's how she came to associate them with her mage persona and it became her trigger."

"So the Kotori I know, is not the same one who was your little sister? Is that why you put up the barrier between you?"

"Yes. But not for the reason you're probably thinking. Back then, she was weak. Brave, but weak. She needed us to protect her. But without my influence in her life, she grew up strong. You say I'm doing more harm than good from where you're standing. But from where I'm standing, keeping my distance allows her to be strong and independant. Traits she needs to have. I won't always be here to protect her. If she gets attached to me again like she was before, then all I'll do is cause her more pain. This is better by far. No matter how much it hurts me to stay away, it's best her for her if I do."

 _I can't imagine Kotori being shy and timid… But what a cowardly thing to allow yourself to believe! And what about me?! How can you be such a selfish hypocrite?!_

"Kurumi… Have you ever seen her playing Date A Live?" she asked calmly in spite of her growing anger.

The only response she received was a raised eyebrow from the magus so she continued.

"I have. It's a dating sim where you can create these very realistic characters to play with. It's primarily a dating sim, but you can assign the characters various personality archetypes."

"I know what it is. I know she plays it. But what's your point?"

"...She was playing all the time. Tapping away on her mobile phone, constantly asking my opinion… I'd pretend to be interested... But the point is. The character she created resembled you. Or at least, it was as close to you as the game could get. She wore gothic styled cloths, had black hair, blue eyes, and had a yandere personality which was so demented that I was afraid Kotori might start trying to emulate her. She called her Onee-sama."

Kurumi covered her mouth and visibly trembled. Origami was worried that she had perhaps set her off into another fit of sobbing. But when she heard the unmistakable sound of laughter being stifled by her hands, she was partially relieved.

After a long moment, Kurumi pulled herself up until she was sitting on the side of her bed.

"I take you realized what it means?" she asked.

"Yes… Yes I have. Hehe. She used to call me that. It was so adorable! Yes. Yes. You pointed out the void in our home. My father had the full family tea set, and Kotori… She replaced with me with a dating sim. I'm a little flattered by that considering that I was the one who was always playing games, and she was reading manga all the time."

Origami took a seat on the bed beside her. "What did you like to do together?"

"A lot of things. Most of the time though, when it was just the two of us, we studied Magecraft together. When we weren't feeling up to it we'd just read manga or watch anime together. Even though I found both to be boring, I liked how into it she got. It was fun to watch her enjoying herself," she answered with a particularly bright smile, yet with a somewhat distant look in her eye as she recalled the good times she spent with her adoptive sister.

"She still needs you. Maybe she doesn't need to hide behind you anymore, but she still needs you. She needs to know she's not alone. Spend time with her, bond with her, and then tell her the truth. She deserves to know."

"I'll consider it," she said while standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me. I should go make myself presentable for dinner. Can't have the Tohnos, or my little sister seeing me like this. It's bad for my public image."

"Yes. We can't have anyone know you aren't actually half as scary as you make yourself out to be."

"Ffeh! You should have met my mother. She could make my father and all these people tremble in abject terror with just a little smile!"

Origami shook her head, "Somehow, I have a feeling that might be something genetic. Even your father showed fear at the look on your face back at the train station."

Kurumi flashed a toothy grin at her girlfriend, "Heh. You always know just what to say to cheer me up!"

Origami was slightly taken aback by that remark, "You're actually proud of that?"

"Dad used to tell me that I was too much like my mother sometimes. It's good to know I've still got it! Go on ahead to dinner. I'll get cleaned up and then I'll go check on Kotori and bring her to the table."

Origami let out a small smile at the words she heard, "Good. I approve. Start spending more quality time with her. Let things happen naturally."

* * *

Following Origami's advice, the next day Kurumi had brought Kotori to a more secluded part of the Tohno family property to spend some time with her. Ostensibly to practice her magecraft. But it was really just to cheer her up and get her mind off other things.

Even in seclusion, the risks of her Spirit powers being noticed by someone in the household was great. Never mind the risk of her spirit powers being detected by DEM. So this practice session would focus entirely on magecraft.

Kurumi had no problem setting up a bounded field sufficient to guard against being observed by any outsiders. But she was not confident enough in her ability to draw a field capable to blocking out her spirit powers. Kotori would soon be able to do that on her own. But there were other lessons she would need to learn before she could achieve that.

"It isn't hard. The principle is the same no matter what magic you use. So go ahead and try it."

Kotori nodded and threw the flame at the ground in front of her creating a wall of fire which she then directed to completely surround her.

Kurumi cocked her pistol and took a shot at the wall, aiming carefully so as not to even risk hitting Kotori should the wall fail. The shot indeed passed through the wall as she had feared.

The twin tailed girl looked up at where the shot passed through her wall with a curious look in her eye.

 _The other one threw me off a damn bridge three times to teach me something. But she won't even risk me getting hit with her shadow bullets. Are they just that strong or is it something else?_

"You need to turn up the intensity. You want to literally vaporize anything that penetrates. Don't go overboard with it, but don't hesitate with it either," explained Kurumi.

Kotori nodded again and closed her eyes. Kurumi felt the mana surge and recocked her pistol before firing again. This time the shadowy projectile was dissolved by the wall before passing through.

"Excellent! That was absolutely perfect!"

Kotori dropped the fire wall and then smiled proudly to herself while Kurumi walked up to her.

"Where did you get the idea for a spell like this? It never would have occurred to me to use fire as a defensive wall."

"It was just something I picked up along the way. One of my teachers was very formidable with fire magic."

 _Our grandfather… Tokiomi Tohsaka. Back when I was the one trying to teach you magecraft I researched everything mom had about him, it helped a lot to teach her to use her fire magic. Much as I want to tell her that, I just can't… Not yet at least._

"How do you feel? Any overpowering desires to go destroy something?"

"Yes. But not from that. I don't think a defensive use of my power triggers it."

"Then what's bothering you Kotori-chan?" Kurumi asked with a concerned look as she approached.

Kotori sighed, "Can I trust you Kurumi?"

The mono-eyed magus had a look on her face Kotori had never seen on her before and she suddenly looked away from her full of shame. "I'm sorry…" she quickly apologized in a low voice.

 _She looks so hurt… I guess that was a stupid question after all she's done for me. Way to go Kotori… Now you're asking stupid questions like pops does. Hah. More proof that I'm an Emiya instead of… whomever the hell those people were._

"Kotori…" she started in a serious voice that instantly snapped the younger girl's attention back onto her. "What do I have to do? Tell me what I have to do to earn your trust."

Kotori was lost for words for a long moment before she stepped up to close the distance again and warmly hugged Kurumi. "Nothing. It was a stupid question to ask. I hate that you keep so many secrets from me. But I do trust you. I'm so sorry that I was so insensitive just now."

Kurumi hugged her back, tightly. "Something happened. Forget about this and just tell me what it is. Or even better, just tell me whom I have to kill for making you feel so bad."

Kotori knew she had to choose her words carefully. She didn't doubt that Kurumi would actually do it. "My father had a visit the other day. Two people who told him they were…" she paused for a moment and clenched her teeth, very tightly and spoke her next words through them. "I don't even want to say the words…"

"Your biological parents?" Kurumi guessed.

"Has this happened before?" she asked after a breath to relax herself. "If it has. Please. I need to know."

Kurumi held her more tightly and nodded her head against the top of Kotori's, "Yes. This has happened before. It goes differently every time though. But the motivation is always the same. DEM uses them to get to you."

"So they're only being used to get to me? But why? They don't know about my powers, or do they?"

"No. They couldn't possibly. I suspect they're after you because I was protecting you and they want to know why you're so valuable to me."

"I just want to know why. Why is this happening to us Kurumi? Everything was so perfect! It isn't fair… We didn't do anything to deserve any of this!"

The raven haired girl quickly took her sister into another tight embrace. It was an irresistible impulse. Pure instinct. Her logical mind knew it was the wrong thing to do. But her instinct to hold and protect her sister was simply too powerful to resist.

 _I will protect you. No matter what it takes. From our enemies, and even from yourself._

"I know you can't tell me everything… But please. Just tell me why. Why is this happening?" asked Kotori while hugging her tighter.

Kurumi took a deep breath, "Because they want what we have. Our powers. They use our crystals to build their machines. They use science to subvert magic. I don't know what their ultimate goal is. I never got a chance to find out. My goal was always to stop all of this from ever happening at all. But I failed. Over and over I failed. Now my only goal is to protect you and Origami from them. I just don't give a damn about anything else anymore."

"If it'll make them leave us alone, they can take my damned crystal!"

"I wish it worked like that Kotori-chan. I really do."

"What would happen if I were to get rid of my crystal? Would I just become a normal girl?"

"I don't know. Everyone has a different relationship with their Angels. Some only exist because of their crystals. Like myself and the Yamai sisters. In your particular case. Your crystal gives you all your powers, including your magecraft. I don't know what would happen to you without it. And I honestly never want to find out. I couldn't take that risk. Or let you take that risk."

"Do you know how I became a Spirit? If you do, would you please tell me?"

Kurumi took a breath as she considered the question, "I do."

"Will you tell me?"

Kurumi took a very deep breath. "It happened to you the same way it happened to me. It's part of why I do what I do. Please don't ask me to elaborate… these aren't good memories."

She looked deep into Kurumi's crimson eye as she mustered up her resolve, "I understand, but, I still want to know. I can't make you tell me. But I want to know."

"Kotori…" started Kurumi with a long sigh before seating herself down on the grass. "Alright. I'll tell you."

"I appreciate it. I really do."

"You won't after I tell you… Many years ago. Well. Many years ago from my perspective. Tohka wasn't the first spirit we met. In my original timeline, the first spirit we met appeared not too far from our school. We were all having a lunch I made for us when I sensed the spacial quake was coming, you sensed it too, a few moments after I did."

 _She used to make our lunches?! We must have all been pretty close. Not even Pops makes me lunches for school. And why could I only sense the quake coming after her? That's bullshit!_

Kotori nodded that she was paying close attention.

"Anyway. When the alarm actually went off, Origami took off running out of the school. Naturally I freaked out and was about to go after her, but you stopped me. Then you started telling me about your locator app and how you could track Origami. I didn't understand anything and you started bitching about how I was worse than your mother with technology. Anyway. You found her, and we started gawking at how fast she was moving. Then you told me she was going to be right in the middle of the quake so I bolted for it after making you promise you'd get to shelter."

"That sounds like me… But how could I have had Origami on the app? It's suppose to only work for family members?"

Kurumi shrugged, "Don't ask me. I really am worse than your mother with any technology that isn't gaming related. So after that…"

The raven haired girl turned her crimson eye up to the sky where she stared wistfully as she began to retell the events of that day…

* * *

 _I panted for air as I ran down the deserted street, adrenaline, magical energy, and desperation were all that kept me going. The world around me spun completely out of control but I still kept running forward until the force of an explosion blew me back along the asphalt, a blackness overcame me and when I opened my eye again I had no idea what had just happened._

 _Then I felt my phone vibrating before I heard it ringing to the tune of your favorite dubstep music._

" _Hello, you've reached Kurumi... I'm not available to take your call right now because my head is spinning too fast. Please leave a message after I pass out again."_

" _If you can still joke around I'm going to assume you're alright!" you furiously yelled at me._

" _Somehow… Yes. I think. Lemmie just check. I know one arm is using the phone, other arm is still here though. Hmm. Both legs are sore, but attached. I seem to have lost my eye though… Oh wait. No. It's here on the ground, staring at me in a disapproving manner."_

 _Yes. My glass eye was really knocked out of my head. It really was there on the ground and staring at me._

" _It's not the only one who disapproves!" you yelled at me._

 _You really never had any appreciation for my dark and witty sense of humor._

 _I looked around at the destruction around me, and I have to admit, I was really impressed by it._

" _Wow. Seeing this kind of thing on TV is nothing compared to real life. One should certainly have respect for the damage these things can do," I said to you._

" _Gee, ya think?!"_

" _Can you tell me how close am I to Origami?"_

" _No. I lost her signal when the quake happened. I'm only getting yours-"_

* * *

"Alright stop. I call bullshit! How could I have had Origami and you on the family locator app?! I'm not a genius hacker like that! You'd both have to actually be family for the company to enable that for us!" yelled Kotori.

"You're really asking the wrong person here. When it comes to technology, I rely on you and Origami. Hell I can't even connect my Playstation to the TV without help from either of you! I can just use the damn thing! Can I go on with the story now?"

"Yeah. Whatever. Still calling bullshit… but go on."

* * *

 _I started freaking out at what it could mean that you couldn't find her on your app. "I'm going to find her. Just stay where you are!"_

" _...she could have been-"_

" _Don't say it! She's fine! I know she is!" I yelled before hanging up the phone._

 _I looked towards the epicentre of the devastation and started moving again. From there I'd create a few familiars to search the area for Origami. But when I got there I saw her in her very sexy wiring suit… Ahem. Anyway. She was fighting some kind of something. I had no idea what to make of it. It was a vaguely humanoid figure surrounded by something I could only define as noise. If noise was something you could see instead of hear, this was it._

 _Origami was suddenly blasted back by some kind of power I couldn't define anymore than the Spirit's appearance._

 _I screamed at the top of my lungs before throwing all the magical energy I could safely muster into my legs to leap out into the battle, I landed halfway between Origami and the entity she was fighting against._

" _What is this? Another one to stand in my way?"_

 _The thing spoke without a voice. I don't know how to explain it. It was sound. But I didn't perceive it as sound. It was… I don't know how to explain it and I won't waste time trying… Anyway. Rather than allow myself to try and figure out what was going on like a proper magus should, I only had one objective in that moment, to protect Origami._

 _With that thought firmly mind I ignited my magic circuits and gathered from my shadow two… Err, how to describe this? Darkness! Yes. Darkness into my hands which I used as my weapons. This was before I got my mystic codes, so I had to fling my shadows around in pretty much anyway that could get the job done in the moment._

" _If you want to harm her, you'll have to go through me!" I defiantly yelled._

" _A magus? How interesting. I haven't seen one of your kind for a while now. And with darkness of all things as her element? How very interesting! Let us put your power to the test."_

 _What else could I do when challenged like that? I went for it. But it was just playing with me. The Spirit dodged everyone one of my attacks._

" _Kurumi! No! Get away from here!" Origami yelled as she tried to get up but fell back down in pain. She was out of it. This was between me and the Spirit now. Nothing hurts the people I love and lives to tell the tale!_

" _You should listen to your friend little magus. I won't hold back forever."_

 _Me being me, well, I was so full of myself... Heh, even to this day I don't know when to back down from a fight._

" _ **I promise you this, you'll be sorry you ever decided to mess with me!"**_

 _I chanted the aria for the most powerful mystery I had at the time and from my shadow erupted a horde of flying wasp like familiars which went straight to swarm the entity. But in that same instant a surge of power erupted from it which destroyed all the familiars and blew me back until I landed beside Origami… And you have no idea how much pain I was in. That rough landing cut up my back so badly..._

 _Origami screamed for me in despair as she quickly covered me with her own body before a cloud of dust and debris began to envelop us. Under other circumstances, I'd probably have been very turned on by that… Meh, who am I kidding? I_ _ **was**_ _turned on by that. But I still had the presence of mind to keep her from pointlessly self sacrificing over something I was perfectly capable of protecting us both from. I wrapped an arm around Origami's waist, held her tightly, and put up a bubble of darkness around us that served the same function as that fire wall I was teaching you. Nothing could penetrate it._

 _A short while later when the dust settled, Origami lifted her head. Both of her own azure eyes met with my eye and we gazed deeply at each other for a long moment before Origami broke the silence to ask if I was alright._

" _I could ask you that. We both got our asses kicked. But I think I killed it."_

 _Origami slowly nodded her head while I released the protective bubble from around us. We slowly helped each other to our feet while surveying our surroundings. Both of us were stunned when we were confronted by the sight of the Spirit just standing there as if it were staring at us through the obscuring noise it was surrounded by._

 _That was when you showed up… You never did listen to me when I told you to do something for your own good… and nothing's changed about that._

* * *

"Is that how Origami found out you were a magus?"

Kurumi shook her head, "No. It was only the first time she saw me seriously use my mysteries. She knew I was a magus long before that. I never kept any secrets from her. But she had one from me, which was a little hurtful to tell you the truth. But, no. That's not true at all. I also had a big secret from her as well, which makes me a hypocrite for feeling that way… But that's between me and her."

"Interesting… We'll come back to that one. So what happened with the Spirit after I showed up?" asked Kotori with wide eyes of anticipation.

"It knew who you were. It was there the day of the fire. But before it could explain further, Origami and I _may_ have _completely_ lost our shit and attacked it again. But it got away before we could finish it off. After that we sort of assumed that was the spirit which caused the fire, and we made it our mission to find it again and kill it."

 _So it was that Spirit who started the fire and not me? Or is there more to this story she isn't telling me? I can feel her holding back important details… But how to get them out of her?_

"Origami, I understand. She wants revenge for what happened that day. But what was your motivation for getting involved?"

Kurumi narrowed her eye, "You seriously need to ask me that? It hurt you, and it hurt the love of my life! There was no way I wasn't going to pay it back tenfold! We called it 'Phantom' and we searched high and low for it. I really thought like Origami did. That all the Spirits were a menace that needed to be wiped out. You didn't think that was the case. Neither did your father. That was when you found Tohka, and she started helping us. You and Tohka changed our minds about the Spirits. Then we met Yoshino and that made it official. Absolutely nothing was as simple as we thought it was."

 _So she didn't know I was a spirit at the time? I guess that means I didn't trust her enough to tell her. But did Origami know I was a mage too? So many questions..._

"Yeah. Yoshino is a special girl isn't she?"

"Yes. She is. She was like a baby sister to all of us. The first time around, it was Ryouko and Origami who took her in. But anyway. When we finally found Phantom again. She told us that she wasn't the one who started the fire back then. As we fought her, she told us that she made you into a Spirit. She offered to do it for both of us as well if we wanted the power to fight our real enemies. We outright refused and kicked her ass! Just to prove we didn't need whatever she could offer us."

 _So that's how she found out then… But that means!_

"Who were your other enemies? DEM? And what about Origami? Wouldn't she have thought that I, the fire spirit, started the fire instead?!"

Kurumi nodded, "Yes. She did think that. But I managed to bury her anger under a metric ton of reason and logic. The only source for that information was something we couldn't trust. Something that had an interest in lying to us to save its own skin by tearing us all apart. Anyway. By this time, there were so many spirits appearing in Japan that DEM sent Origami's former team members there to start capturing spirits. We didn't know why so many were appearing here and we never found out the reason. But what I do know is that they particularly wanted to get Tohka. We wouldn't allow that. Your father was particularly adamant about it. He was also afraid that whatever was causing the Spirits to appear in one general area so much was going to invite a Counter Guardian. So, time was very much against us and we had to really step up our game."

"He does really adore Tohka."

"More than that. Back then, it was her that he was in love with. She's such a bumbling idiot most of the time, but when she's serious, there's nobody more dependable in a fight. That woman will go to hell and back for Kinako bread, but when someone screws around with her family she'll go to extremes I never imagined possible. I love her alot, and when she was with your father I couldn't help but gush like a schoolgirl over them!"

"You are a schoolgirl! But… If Ryouko wasn't with him now… I can see that being what would have happened. But how did pops not get with Ryouko? The way they were on their first date was like love at first sight. And if all of us were friends, I probably would have tried to get them together the same way Origami and I did this time. That doesn't make sense…"

"You're forgetting a critical factor in your calculation there. Me. I'm the wildcard. Without me in the mix, things go differently for you. In my timeline, they were just friends. Yes, they were attracted to each other, it was obvious. But you didn't set them up on a date. Nothing ended up happening between them because of Tohka."

 _I call bullshit! What aren't you telling me?!_

"I see…" she said with narrowed eyes. "Before I probe into that some more… did you happen to find out why Phantom made me into a spirit?"

"No. I couldn't get that answer out of her. No matter how hard I beat her. Eventually. Things got so bad that I reconsidered what Phantom was offering me. Then she gave me the crystal with Zafkiel in it. But. Just like what happened with you. When I became a Spirit, I lost all my memories of everything from before that moment."

"But you obviously got them back?"

Kurumi nodded slowly as tears started to stream down from her eye, "Yes… I did. Though I wish your father would have just killed me instead. That was what I deserved for what I did during that time… I won't go into the specifics. So yes… That's how we both became spirits."

The raven-haired magus seemed to be fighting with everything she had not to break down and sob hysterically at what she was remembering. Kotori felt her heart shatter at the expression on her face.

 _Crap… Pops was right. Nothing good will come of this conversation. I'd better change course and ease her out of this._

"And that's why you're trying so hard to fix everything? To make amends for whatever it was you did while you lost your memories?"

 _D'oh! That wasn't the question I wanted to ask! Why'd I just blurt that out?!_

"No. Well. Partly. I'm still responsible for that as well. But what I'm trying to fix, is still coming."

"If I may ask… What ended up happening to Phantom?"

 _Violence seems to be her comfort zone. Let's try steering her back to that..._

"After I got my memories back, _I killed her…_ " she spoke through clenched teeth. "It's the first thing I do in every time loop. I find her and kill her! That's why you haven't met her, and never will! She'll never get a chance to play around with anyone else ever again!"

 _And another fail… A career as a councilor is clearly not in my future..._

Kotori leapt from her place on the ground and onto Kurumi where she hugged her tightly. Kurumi was too surprised by the suddenness of it to respond.

"I'm sorry I made you tell me all of that. I can't imagine how painful this all must have been for you."

Kurumi snapped herself out of her state of shock and hugged Kotori back tightly. "This is why I don't want you to know more than you need to. This is my burden to bear. My choices that I made. My consequences to live with."

"You're not alone Kurumi. Origami and I are both here for you. Whatever you need. We will help you."

Kurumi reached up to her face and wiped away her tears. "Alright. If you really want to help me, then let's get back to our practice. The best way you can help me is to get stronger… You're the heir to your mother's legacy. Never forget it."

 _What does my mom have to do with anything? Why did I just almost hear her say that in pop's voice? And how does she know so much about mom anyway? She was a magus in Fuyuki... could she have been an apprentice of her's? That might make sense. But it doesn't answer all the questions, it just raises more..._

"I couldn't inherit her magic crest. I remember the other you told me your family crest was destroyed before you could inherit it, but I couldn't get it anyway because I wasn't compatible. Mom tested to see if I could. So how can I be the heir to her legacy now?"

The two helped each other to their feet where Kurumi gave her younger sister a very hard stare into her cherry red eye. "Are you or are you not her daughter?"

"No, I'm her _adopted_ dau-" she started trying to say before Kurumi's hand slapped her across the face with a sharp stinging pain.

 _ **SHE HIT ME?! MOM NEVER HIT ME! POPS NEVER HIT ME! THIS BITCH ACTUALLY HIT ME!**_

Kurumi's eye narrowed while Kotori stared up her with a wide eyes of shock. "You hit me?!"

"Yes," she answered coldly enough to put out whatever fire was left in the twin tailed girl. "To your family it makes no difference. Biological or adopted daughter. They love you more than anything in the world. I never want to hear you diminish it by appending that title as if it makes a difference to anyone who matters. I won't stand here and allow you to belittle the sacrifices they made for you," she stated in the most icy cold tone Kotori had ever heard in her life.

 _And she's right… I did deserve that..._

"You're right… I'm sorry…" she answered timidly while feeling the unnatural chill in the air match Kurumi's tone of voice.

"Good. Now. Let's pull ourselves together and practice with that fire wall. We need to get you to a level where you can put it up in the time it takes me to fire a shot," she imperiously commanded as she turned to put some distance between them. "It's not difficult. You should be able to do it right before our time here is up."

"Sure… Whatever you say... _Onee-sama._ "

Kurumi froze in her tracks. Even though she knew Kotori didn't mean it as anything other than a dig at how she was being treated, it had been far too long since she heard it from her mouth. "Are you ready?" she asked while her pistol appeared in her hand and her thumb moved to cock the hammer.

"Bring it on!"

* * *

 **Fuyuki**

It had been two days since the funeral. Two days since he had been visited by the people claiming to be his daughter's biological parents. Though he had heard nothing from them since, Shirou was on edge. Ryouko could sense his unease, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep his mind out the turmoil it was in.

All she could do, was try to keep him busy. There was nothing else which could be done about the situation at the present time, and everyone knew it. But that didn't help Shirou overcome it. She decided the best thing to do, was put his mind to work. The parts they had ordered for the old Mercedes had arrived, and they spent the morning assembling the parts and installing them into the car. It wouldn't be long before they would go on the offensive again and having an extra car to make a fast escape would be invaluable.

"Please cheer up Shirou. Everything will be alright. We won't let anything happen to Kotori," said Tohka as she set out a fresh pitcher of ice water on the work table they were using to assemble the components.

Shirou nodded, "I'm trying Tohka. But it isn't easy," he said before taking the part he'd just put together to the car and then lay down to slide himself under the car to install it.

Tohka sighed and looked at Ryouko who looked at Tohka with a similar mournful expression. The violet haired woman stepped closer so she could speak discreetly to the ex-army officer.

"What can I do for him? He always makes my worries go away so easily, but I can't do it for him..."

Ryouko put a hand on Tohka's shoulder, "If you had children of your own, you'd understand. There's nothing anyone can do for him right now. Kotori is his whole world. Until these problems are all resolved, and he can know that she's safe. He won't stop being worried. It's the same for me with Origami. I just worry less because nobody is knocking on my door trying to take her away from me. But even still, every part of me is always screaming to leave everything here and go to her, so I can see that she's safe and happy with my own eyes. So I can hold her in my arms and let her know that I will keep her safe no matter what. Shirou is feeling that same feeling right now. He needs to be with her, he needs to be able to hold her, and let her feel safe."

"But she is safe where she is now. Isn't she?"

"Yes. But... I don't know how else to explain it. When you're a parent, that isn't enough."

"I love Kotori a whole lot as well. I also want to go protect her."

"But you're not her mother. It would be different if you were. You'd understand what he's feeling right now if you were. Being responsible for a life that would be helpless without you, is a beautiful and rewarding experience. But it's also the hardest thing anyone can ever do."

"But you're Origami's guardian. Not her mother?"

Ryouko sighed and rolled her eyes. "I know you didn't mean to offend me with that. But you did."

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't. So relax. I'm not holding it against you. My relationship with Origami is a little complicated. But. I want to adopt her. I want us to be closer than we are. But the nature of our work made that difficult. Now that I'm not in the army anymore. I decided that the next time I see her, I'm going to offer to adopt her. I want to show her that I love her more than anything. That I want her to be my daughter, and that I want to be her mother. I've been that in all but name anyway."

"I'm still learning about what it means to have a family, or friends. Before Kotori came to me that day, I never knew anything but a life of just endlessly fighting people like you. But may I ask. What about your relationship with Origami is complicated?"

Ryouko sighed, "That's a very long story. If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry. That's probably very bad of me to do…" she said demurely.

Ryouko quickly shook her head and put a hand on Tohka's shoulder, "It's not that. I don't mind you asking questions like that. I just mean that I'm really not up to talking about it right now. But later."

Tohka nodded, took a deep breath, and mustered a small smile, "I'm sorry. I just make a lot of mistakes. Especially like these. I offended you, and then I asked a personal question."

Ryouko chuckled softly at her, "It's alright Tohka. It's perfectly alright to make mistakes. Never be afraid of making mistakes. Just learn from them when you do. And more importantly, pay attention to other people's mistakes and learn from those as well. It's how we all learn what we know."

Tohka smiled with renewed enthusiasm, "Right! I'll remember that. Thank you so much!"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the DEM dormitories in New City, Shido, Mana, Cecile, and Tonomachi were seated in front of the TV watching a football match.

"Are you sure you're alright with this Cecile? I mean, the commentator doesn't describe what's happening nearly enough for you, does he?" wondered Shido while holding her hand between them on the couch.

"It's perfectly fine Shido. I know you and Mana well enough by now. If you don't watch the footie you'll never be able to concentrate on your thaumaturgy. Besides. To tell the truth I get more enjoyment from how you and Mana get into it than I do from the actual game."

"What's wrong with the actual game?" asked Mana with narrowed eyes at the Irish girl.

"Well… I'm not sure where to even start. The players are all prima donnas who care more about their modeling careers than they do about their athletic careers. They take the smallest tumble and cry for their mothers. But somehow, millions upon millions of people still enjoy this so called sport."

Shido and Mana both glared at her with wide eyes as if she could see them.

"What sport do you enjoy? If any?" asked Tonomachi from the seat beside Mana.

"Gaelic Football of course! It's like a mixture of football, basketball, handball, and rugby. It's a rough game which only the strongest and bravest can play and survive!"

"Sounds fun…" remarked Tonomachi. "Is it alright if I ask? You teach them both about magic right?"

"Magecraft," she corrected. "Thaumaturgy and Magic are different things. To put it in simple terms, magecraft brings about what is possible through science using supernatural means. A DEM Wizard will do the opposite. Using science to recreate mysteries. Though, a wizard also relies on the supernatural to power the equipment they use."

"I don't think I understand…"

"It's alright Hiroto. You don't need to. What's important to know is that we can, and will protect you."

Shido and Mana both suddenly leapt up off the couch and gave each other a double high five while screaming and cheering loudly as their team scored the first goal.

"They really do get into it don't they?" remarked Tonomachi with a bright smile.

"They do. It's fun to hear them get excited like this," answered a smiling Cecile.

"It really is. So what is magic then? Is it even a thing?"

"Very much so. It's just not something we humans are generally capable of," Cecile started to explain while leaning back in the couch and taking a hold of Shido's hand again once he'd sat back down.

"I'm not sure how to explain it in a way you could understand. Something which is magic, is something which is otherwise impossible in a given age. For example, if I were to use my Thaumaturgy to create something capable to allowing me to communicate with someone across a vast distance in real time, that _**would**_ be magic, _**if**_ the phone hasn't yet been invented. Does that make sense?"

"So magic is anything that science hasn't yet achieved?"

"Yes and no. It's much more complicated than I'm making it sound. But, for a rudimentary understanding of the concept, that is a sufficient enough explanation."

"So, what kind of magecraft do you all work with?"

Cecile shook her head, "Generally speaking, a magus shouldn't reveal their mysteries to outsiders. But… I suppose you're not an outsider anymore. I have four elemental alignments. I mostly practice with Runes, since I'm blind I can still work with them to get things done. Aside from that, Curses and Alchemy. But my strong point, is Counter Magic. Which means disrupting another's Magic Circuits to nullify their magecraft. I taught it to Ellen. I try to teach these two, but…" she explained and then trailed off while gesturing to the television.

Mana took a hold of Tonomachi's hand, she grinned in amusement at how he blushed at the gesture, "Shido and I both only have one elemental affinity. Water. But we also have the unique ability to synchronize with each other. But only with each other. We can't do it with anyone else."

 _Just relax man… She grew up in England, not Japan. She doesn't know better. Just go with it. You don't wanna offend her or make her self conscious or anything._

"Nor have we have we tried…" remarked Shido.

Cecile burst into laughter at the siblings.

"What's funny?" asked the black haired boy.

"It's funny because when they told me about that ability of theirs I was shocked and a little revolted. I almost wanted to not be friends with them anymore."

"Do I even want to know?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

Mana and Shido both started to look disgusted at the conversation.

Shido then spoke up quickly in an angry voice, "Because generally speaking, people with a similarly named ability have to have sex to make it work. But that's not the kind of synchronization we do, and we do it with an _aria_ , **and nothing else!** "

"Gross thoughts being mercilessly shoved aside…" started Mana. "What we do is something entirely mental. We fight as two people, but we strategize and execute our attacks as if we're one person. I'm not sure how else to explain it. We don't know why we can do it, we just discovered that we can after we started training to become Wizards."

"I figure it has something to do with why our parents wanted to separate us as children. I really don't care how or why we can do what we do. Just as long as-" Shido shook his head when his phone started to ring. "Excuse me everyone…" he muttered while reaching into his pocket to get it out.

Cecile tried to let go of his hand to let him up but he squeezed her hand tighter to let her know he wasn't actually going anywhere.

"This is Adeptus Two..." he said into the phone and then simply listened to the speaker. "I understand. Has Adeptus One been notified?" Shido slowly nodded his head while his features visibly soured at what he was hearing. "Understood. I have Adeptus Three and Five with me. I'll let them know," he said before hanging up the phone with a long sigh.

Mana looked on with growing concern, "What is it big brother?"

"They're coming for us, we have to get ready,"

"Who's they?" asked Tonomachi.

"Sorry Tonomachi. You don't need to get involved in this. It's our fight," explained Mana as she stood up from the couch.

"A fight? If you're all getting into a fight then I'll help you!"

 _What the fuck am I saying?! What's gotten into me?_

Mana shook her head, "You don't mean that. You said yourself you wanted nothing to do with the Moonlit World. That's what's coming for us. I intend to protect you from it. So please. Go somewhere safe."

Tonomachi balled his fists, "Yes. But… How can I just let you fight for me? I'm not a pathetic coward! How could you want to have a weakling like that for a boyfriend?! Someone who turns tail and runs when the things he cares about are in danger?"

Mana's eyes widened at the passion in his voice.

"He's got you there Mana. But let me ask you something Hiroto. You said yourself your Mystic Eyes weren't all that powerful. So what can you do that we can't?" asked Cecil while Shido helped her into her wheelchair.

Tonomachi reached around behind his back and pulled out a small polished silver metallic object which he stared at for a long moment. Then with a quick motion of his finger he revealed the object to be a Higonokami blade, albeit, one which was slightly larger than the norm, but still easy to conceal.

"I don't know exactly. But I need to find out today if everything my mother and I endured from my father can be made into anything positive. Or I'll die trying. Otherwise, how could I ever hope to be worthy of any of your friendships?"

Cecile nodded her head, "Well… I suppose I can accept that. I'm only here now for a similar reason. What do you think Shido?"

"I think he's an idiot! But he's got guts. I respect that. It's his decision. I'll support it if he means it. Mana. It's up to you now. You have the final word."

Mana closed her eyes tightly, "I respect it too. But you don't have to risk your life like this to impress me or my big brother Tonomachi. That shouldn't factor into your equation here. If you do this. Do it for yourself. Not for me. Not for us. But for you, and only you!"

Tonomachi firmly nodded his head while folding away his knife, "I won't lie. I am a male, and my masculinity would be hopelessly compromised if I didn't go out there and fight beside you," he said with a hearty chuckle. "But all kidding aside. I need to do this. I need to do something good with this curse I've been given or I may never be free of it."

Mana turned around to look at her big brother and Cecile. "Could you two go on ahead of us? I'd like to try talking some sense into him, alone."

"Sure Mana. You know where we'll be," answered Cecile before Shido could protest.

The blue haired boy instantly gave Tonomachi the stink eye before turning the wheelchair towards the doorway.

Once they were gone, Mana turned a pair of angry brown eyes on him. "Let me explain a few things about what you're asking to fight against…"

* * *

"What?! Who authorized this?!" demanded Shirou.

Waver shook his head, "I don't know. All I know is the Association and the Holy Church are going to conduct a joint assault on the DEM facilities here in Fuyuki. There will also be a simultaneous assault in Tokyo."

Shirou's head slammed into the table as he growled in frustration.

"I take it this means the conflict is escalating?" asked Ryouko.

Waver nodded to her. "Yes. That's exactly what it means. So what do you want to do Shirou?"

All eyes at the table were suddenly upon him as he lifted up his head.

 _I wish you were here Rin… I'm no leader. I don't know what to do here. What would you do in this situation?_

"We need options to consider. Let's throw down on the table and see what cards we have to play," he said before taking a deep breath. "Option one is to join the battle against DEM. But that means Tohka has to sit this one out. We risk making another enemy if they find out about her."

Waver crossed his fingers and rested his chin on them in deep thought, "I'm inclined to agree with that assessment as well. Not even I could prevent her from gaining a Sealing Designation if they found out about her spirit powers. The rest of us would be in just as much danger as a result. With that in mind, I think the risks to ourselves from getting involved far outweigh the benefits. Not committing our full strength is the same as not doing anything at all. We'd simply trade one enemy for another if we did fully commit."

"Agreed. Ryouko? Any suggestions?"

"Yes. This battle provides us with a unique opportunity and we shouldn't let it pass us by. They'll have to commit their best to the battle, which means there will be less opposition if we want to break in and gather intelligence."

"That's worth looking at. But we should count on them expecting something like this."

"We also have no idea where to start looking… We don't know the layout of the facility, we also don't have an expert in computer hacking. We can't count on them having physical records for us to look though," added the hooded girl beside Waver.

 _I didn't realize it until now, but her voice… She sounds just like Saber._

Waver slowly nodded his head again, "Gray makes a very good point as well. To gather intelligence, we'd need to first gather intelligence on where to gather intelligence. I am personally disinclined from attempting such a mission when there are so many variables we cannot control."

"However…" stated Gray which drew all eyes to her. "I believe that, as Mr. Emiya has said, our enemies will expect such an attempt. They would seek to secure themselves. We should assume they will not make any mistakes in this."

"Yes. But what is your point?" asked Waver with some impatience.

"My point is that everything they will want to keep safe should be relocated based on the assumption that they will lose this battle. The Association Enforces have had little success against them in combat, but the Holy Church have not yet lost an engagement."

"I see what you're saying Gray. They'll move anything valuable from their facility to another location. We just have to find and intercept their shipments. Anything we hit is a potential gold mine of information."

"Yes Mr. Emiya. That is precisely what I am saying."

"It's a good idea, and we have experience with hijacking convoys," added a smirking Ryouko.

Waver nodded his agreement, "I think it would also be wise of us to observe this battle. So we can try and understand why the Enforcers are losing so badly to the DEM soldiers and why the Holy Church are so successful against them. It could help us to appropriately adjust our own tactics in the future."

Shirou firmly nodded, "I'm with you on that one. As for Gray's plan, we'll go with that as well. Our primary objective will be to gather intelligence by observing them in combat. If any targets of opportunity appear, we'll move on them."

* * *

Tonomachi fell down onto the couch with a tired huff. "I understand. I have no idea what they're all capable of. I've never fought a magus, or an executor before. But…"

 _Seriously… What the hell am I doing?_

"...my mind's made up. I need to do this."

"Why? What's really motivating you?"

"I just need to do this Takamiya. I need everything I've been through to be worth something."

Mana shook her head, "When I fight. I only care about protecting my brother. It's the same for him. People say you need to have ideals, things worth fighting for. But I don't think that's true at all. Like some fight to protect the world. But the world hasn't done anything for me, or my brother. We just got ourselves out of one kind of misery only to endure a different kind, and just when we thought we'd finally reached the end of our misery, we just found more of it. All we do is fight. All we're good for is fighting. In the end, all I have is my big brother, and I'm all he has. That's why we fight. Because it's all we can do."

"Takamiya…"

The ponytailed bluenette seated herself beside him and took a tight hold of his hand, "Please Tonomachi. Listen to me. Don't put yourself in the same situation we're in. Don't get blood on your hands if you don't have to. There's no going back from it. There's no washing it off. I don't want that for you. If I can go out there and fight to keep you from ever having to do it yourself, then I'll gladly do that. But I don't want you to be like us! I want you to be the normal boy who had the courage to ask me out in spite of the knowledge that my big brother would have beaten you up for it. That's why I like you Tonomachi. That's who I want you to be."

 _Damn it all… How can I say no to her now?_

He slowly nodded his head while his dark eyes locked in on her browns, "Alright. So what do you want to eat when you get back? I'll make anything you want. Anything at all."

"You really cook? Emiya said that-"

"I had to learn so I could cook for myself and my mother. So. What do you want me to prepare for you for when you get back safely?"

Mana put one hand on her chin while still holding onto his hand with her other hand. She gave his hand a light squeeze which made his cheeks redden.

 _Just relax man. She probably just doesn't know better. People in the west aren't as reserved with these kinds of things…_

"Surprise me," was her answer.

Tonomachi blinked at her, "No offense, but, I thought you were a picky eater, I mean, I just don't want to make anything you don't like."

"If we're going to be dating. I should at least try some of the things you like to eat. So make whatever you think is your best dish. I promise I'll eat it," she said with a smile before leaning in towards him and placing a soft kiss on his cheek which consequently ignited his face in a burning blush.

"Be safe Takamiya."

She squeezed his hand again in response, "Call me Mana. Hiroto."

"Umm… Alright. As you wish, Mana."

* * *

 **Misaki**

Kurumi and Origami walked up a busy street on their way to meet up with Kotori and the Yamai twins who were waiting for them while they went out to purchase a few items they would all need for the day's planned activities. Including some experimentation the raven haired magus intended to perform on the twins.

"How were things with Kotori today?"

The crimson eyed girl shook her head in response, "I really don't know. We practiced some Thaumaturgy this morning. But our interactions have been a little mixed. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. One moment we're being affectionate with each other, and the next… She said something I slapped her for..."

Origami leveled a seemingly inscrutable stare upon her. Inscrutable to anyone but Kurumi that is. She simply knew every one of her expressions, and she knew Origami was constantly testing how well she actually knew her. This look meant, 'elaborate or else' and didn't take no for an answer.

"We were talking about how she was the heir to our mother's legacy. She asked how she could be since she couldn't inherit her crest. I reminded her that she is her daughter. She then tried to correct me by saying she was adopted. I couldn't control myself, I just smacked her across the face on reflex."

"Because even though she isn't your sister by blood, in your eye, and in the eyes of your parents, it doesn't make any difference. Is that correct?"

"Exactly correct. You know, I read that in this situation, the biological child often feels jealous of how much attention the adopted child gets from their parents. I never experienced that. Not once. Not even a little. If anything, I think my parents were jealous of how much I monopolized Kotori's time. I was always playing with her, doting on her, spoiling her rotten. Heh, even you thought I was far too protective of her. Yet somehow, she didn't emulate any of my bad habits. Much to our parent's relief. She was tidy, organized, polite… Did I do wrong?"

"Hitting her was indeed the wrong thing to do, but you didn't do it out of malice. You did it to correct her. Perhaps next time you might consider trying words instead. She tried to confide a feeling of inadequacy to you, your response was to harshly crush that feeling of her's. While not necessarily wrong, the way you chose to do it was absolutely wrong."

"Everything would have been simpler if she knew the truth…"

"Yes. That's why you need to tell her. Perhaps that was why you hit her? That conversation could only have lead to a discussion about how you know so much about her mother. As it stands, you have a poorly defined relationship with her. She doesn't know how to treat you. Her instincts tells her one thing, while her heart tells her another, and her head another still. I suspect that if you hadn't told me the truth about us, that I too would be feeling the same way she is feeling. That our relationship should be more than what it otherwise would have been."

"To be perfectly honest, when it comes to you, the difference between you knowing the truth and not knowing, is the difference between you trying to penetrate me with your fingers or your bullets. One is simply _**far**_ preferable to the other," she stated in the sauciest and most salacious tone Origami had ever heard anyone take, ever.

"You are shameless…"

 _And it excites me… No! This is not the time… I need to focus on problem solving… Damn it. I see what she's doing. She's deflecting from the issue at hand. I won't let her._

Kurumi grinned devilishly, "No more so than you my love. Don't tell me it hasn't occurred to you yet that you'd be giving your virginity to someone who's already claimed it before! Admit it. The idea of being with someone for the first time who already knows... _Every. Single. Little. Thing._ Which you don't yet know you like the most... All the things which ignite your most burning passions and satisfies your deepest and most guarded carnal desires, _excites_ you beyond all measure and reason."

Kurumi grinned at the deep blush on Origami's face, "If it hasn't yet occurred to you… I wonder how long you'll be able to keep _that_ sinful thought to yourself before you _snap_ and act on it!"

 _Not long Kurumi… Not long at all… Well played. But two can play this game._

"Settle things with your sister… And I will appropriately reward you thus," answered Origami with a lustful grin she couldn't keep off no matter how hard she tried to maintain her signature poker face.

 _And don't make me wait!_

Before their conversation could continue, the city wide siren began to blare, followed by an announcement of an impending spacial quake.

"We need to move to a shelter," calmly remarked Origami after shaking away her previous thoughts.

"No!" yelled Kurumi while grabbing onto her arm. She then leaned in closer to her as people started running to clear the streets, "I didn't sense anything. If a quake were really about to happen, I'd feel the mana disruption a spacequake causes long before the alarm went off."

"What are you saying?"

Kurumi discarded everything she was carrying and flooded her magic circuits, "This isn't the first time this has happened. Just like it was back in New City that time. DEM triggers a false alarm when they want to remove witnesses from an area they're about to operate in," she explained while picking Origami up into a bridal carry. "So I'm saying we need to get the girls and get back to the Tohno estate before we get caught up in an orgy of violence!"

"Kurumi, you can't run that distance while holding me like this! Put me down and I'll meet you back at the mansion!"

"There are only two people I will _**never**_ leave behind! You and my sister! Now shut up and watch me!"

* * *

 **Fuyuki**

In the locker room of the DEM branch, Shido finished putting on the last of his gear before going over towards Cecile who had finished putting on her wiring suit while his back was turned. "Are you ready?"

"Yes…" she said after some hesitation.

"There's no need to be nervous Cecile. Mana and I are going to protect you."

Cecile shook her head, "It's not that… It's just that, I've never seen your face before. This will be the first time…"

"Is that all you're nervous about?" asked Shido with a light chuckle as he took a hold of her hand.

Mana couldn't help gushing over their display, but she kept quiet and smiled so hard her cheeks started to ache.

"Don't be a stook Shido!" she said with a raised voice and a red face. "I fell in love with you without ever having had a chance to actually see you. Now I get to see you for the first time and fight alongside you for the first time… What's not to be nervous about?"

"If I'm to be perfectly honest. And I try to be. I'm scared too. I think you're radiantly beautiful and the fact you fell in love with me frankly amazes me. You're so far out of my league that I'm scared to death of you. Especially right now. You're about to see me for the first time. This is a big moment and I'm honestly just as nervous as you are. I don't know what you'll think of me. I don't know what I think of myself! I just hope it doesn't... You know. Put you off..."

"It doesn't matter what you look like. It's who you _are_ that I fell in love with. So let's do this. Can you help me into my CR Unit?"

"Alright Cecile. Here, put your arms around my shoulders here," he said while bending down to wrap his arms under her's while she wrapped her's around her neck and shoulders.

Shido then carefully lifted her up to an alcove in the wall which contained her CR Unit. He carefully positioned her so her backpack would connect to the hardware.

"I still have no idea what you could possibly love about me Cecile. But I feel very lucky."

Once he felt the equipment lock in he slowly released her weight onto the CR unit which in turn was suspended in the alcove.

"Jabberwock. Initialize," she said softly to herself while keeping her eyes tightly closed.

 _Why did I fall in love with you? What a muppet you can be sometimes Shido..._

* * *

 _ **London, England**_ _  
Two years ago_

 _I'd been shoved out of my wheelchair by a group of orphans in the DEM training facility. I remember laying helpless on the floor with my magic circuits ignited but I just couldn't hit anyone with my mystery. No matter how hard I tried to hit the sounds, I just couldn't replace sight with sound in my mind's eye._

" _Blind, crippled, and ginger! Damn you really got the short end of the stick!"_

" _What do you think you can do around here? Why don't you stop wasting everyone's time and die!"_

" _Filthy witch! Look at her trying to use that magic! Why don't we burn her?"_

" _Yeah! Burn the ginger witch!"_

" _Hey what the hell?!"_

 _I heard sounds coming from all around that I just couldn't figure out, at least until I started hearing the unmistakable screams of pain, suffering, and agony which told me there was a hell of an epic beat down going on around me. But who here would bother helping me?_

" _What's with all of you? I thought you were strong! I thought you wanted to have a fight! But look at you sorry wankers now! Bleeding all over the floor! How pathetic can you be?! Get up and fight me! Or are you only strong when the person you're picking on can't fight back? How stupid is that?! I said get up and fight!"_

 _I heard the sounds of bones breaking, the ear shattering screams of boys and girls as they begged and pleaded for mercy from the person beating them. But it seemed that mercy wasn't quite in his vocabulary._

 _A few moments later, I heard his voice speaking directly to me, it had none of the aggression he gave to the others, he sounded so incredibly kind in stark contrast to who he was a moment ago._

" _Are you alright? May I help you back into your chair?"_

 _May I help you back into your chair… Even my minder, who is conspicuously absent right now, never asks my permission to move me around._

" _As much as I would like to do it on my own, I'm afraid I don't quite know where it is," I said while feeling around me for the chair._

" _Just a moment then," he said while walking around me. I heard the sounds of my chair being put upright and then he brought it over towards me. "May I take your hands and show you where it is?" he asked me again._

 _I felt my cheeks heat up. I knew I was blushing profusely but I couldn't help myself, this boy sounded so kind and sincere._

" _Yes. You may," I said while offering out my hands. I felt him take a hold of me, his hands were so warm, so gentle, nothing at all like what I imagined the hands of someone so violent would feel like._

 _He brought my hands up to the armrests of the wheelchair and told me what they were. "I also put the brakes on the wheels, so it won't roll away from you."_

 _With every bit of my own strength, and some self reinforcement, I pulled myself up into the chair. The boy who saved me didn't offer any additional help, but he did say that he would if I asked him for it. He said all he'd do is hold the chair in place for me just incase it tried to get away from me again. Nobody ever gave me this much respect before now._

" _Why are you helping me like this?" I asked of him once I was properly seated in my chair._

" _I don't like bullies. They're the lowest form of life on Earth," he answered._

" _How can I ever repay you for this?"_

" _You don't have to. I beat up tossers like these for fun. But if you really want to do something… Hmm… you're Cecile O'Brien right?"_

" _I am, yes."_

" _Great! I heard you're even smarter than Origami Tobiichi. You've got the top grades in like everything! If you want to do something for me, could you help me tutor my sister? She's way behind in math. I was just on my way to her now if you want to meet her."_

 _I couldn't help laughing. "I'd be happy to!"_

* * *

"You know Shido… It annoys me that you have to ask. But. I suppose I could tell you," she said with her eyes still tightly closed.

Shido took a step back and looked at her face with a curious expression.

"I wouldn't be here now, if it weren't for you. Being smart wasn't enough to survive. I also had to be strong. Strong like you. I didn't want to have to rely on anyone to protect me. I wanted to be able to protect others the way you protected me. That was the only way I could prove to myself that I was capable of anything I set my mind to. You inspired me to do that. That's why I love you. Because you make me want to be as strong as you are. You never look down on me for my disadvantages. You inspire me to work harder to overcome them."

"Deploy territory…" she said softly while Shido was too stunned to speak. After that she opened her eyes and smiled brightly at him while stepping out of the alcove using her territory to control her limbs. "Because of you Shido, I can see, because of you I can walk. Because of you I can fly. Because of you, I can fight."

Shido was still speechless as she used her territory to manipulate her legs into walking up to him. It was also at this moment that Shido realized she was actually taller than he was. Not by much though, the top of her head was only just above his.

 _It fits. She should stand taller than me._

"That's why I love you Shido. I'm better and stronger because of you. Because you protected me. Because you and Mana gave me the opportunity to become as I am now."

Cecile wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him on the lips while Mana watched with eyes full of happy tears as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

When they finally pulled apart, Shido found his words again, "I guess this means you don't think I'm ugly?"

"No, you have a face like a blind cobbler's thumb and a bucket of snots! But I still love you," she then turned her head towards Mana, "Your sister won the genetic lottery though. You're more beautiful than I imagined you'd be Mana!"

"Aww. Thank you so much!" she said while running up to Cecile to hug her. The top of Mana's head only went up to her chin though but she found it to be a very comfortable hug.

 _Definitely the kind of hug I should get from a big sister!_

A moment later the city wide siren began to blare and all three looked up.

"It's time," they all said in unison.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's note:** As per what has become something of a norm for me, I have once again grossly underestimated just how much writing I actually have to go through to fulfill my plot outline.

So we come to one of those good news/bad news scenarios. This chapter had to be split in two.

The good news is, you get a lot more to read. Including a bonus chapter between the two parts of this one.

The bad news is that I now have a lot more to write.

Well, actually this was a good news/good news scenario. I like writing! And I like writing this story.

Let's begin our date!

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen**

It was around noon as Shirou observed the battle taking place from the roof of a highrise building in New City. Dressed in what Ryouko had dubbed his Superhero Suit. This was fine by him. He couldn't use any of the names he had for it in front of a lady anyway. Even a lady like Ryouko. She herself stood beside him in her wiring suit and winged combat realizer which Shirou had in term dubbed her sexy mobile suit girl cosplay, though every part of him knew that actually saying that outloud would not end well for him. At least not in this context. She observed the battle through a pair of high powered binoculars while the mages all looked on with their reinforced eyes. Tohka though kept begging and pleading for a turn to look through the binoculars.

"When we have the time, I'll start teaching you how to do what we're doing," remarked Shirou.

"Please please please teach me!" begged Tohka.

"I will Tohka. For now though, we need to concentrate on what's happening."

"I'll be happy to help teach her fundamentals of magecraft if you'd permit it Shirou," offered Waver.

"I'd actually appreciate that. I turned out the way I did because I learned those fundamentals all wrong. It'd be great if I didn't put Tohka through what I went through," answered Shirou just before his phone started to ring.

He took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen with a sour look on his face before answering it.

"This better be good Tohno. I'm a little busy here."

"Yeah? Me too! But I still took the time to call you! So take the time to listen!" he furiously yelled into the phone.

"Shiki?! What the hell is going on there?!"

"We're being attacked by those flying soldiers you talked about! In broad daylight! Whole lot of them. Kotori counted sixty at least. The girls are all in town, the siren went off. Kotori called me and told me they were in trouble. They're hiding and I'm on my way to them now with Arcueid and Akiha! Akiha is pretty pissed off and says she's going to war. So you need to get your ass down here as soon as possible if you want a piece of the action!"

Shirou narrowed his eyes at the display ahead of him. "We've got the same situation here in Fuyuki. The Association and the Church are on the offensive and there's a fight going on right out in the streets. I'll be there just as soon as I can. Take care of the kids!"

"Damn straight I will! Kick ass and take names but don't dawdle!" he yelled before hanging up the phone.

Ryouko stared with wide eyes at Shirou as he put his phone away, "What happened?! Are they alright?!"

"DEM is attacking Misaki. This mission is aborted. Let's pack up and take a road trip."

As Shirou turned around though his eyes immediately caught sight of something he immediately recognized heading straight for them.

"Ryouko. Any idea how your former comrades found us here like this?"

"What?!" she asked while looking into her binoculars again at where Shirou was looking. "Damn it all! Why now of all times?! And I really have no idea. Sure they'd go out when the quake alarm sounds. But why are they coming straight for us? They shouldn't be able to detect Tohka!"

"Could they have detected your equipment?" wondered Waver.

"Impossible. I verified that the tracking device was removed from this unit with my own eyes," she said while reaching around behind her back and drawing out her energy sword.

"We'll figure out the how of it later, right now let's just focus on fighting our way out of here and doing what we really need to be doing! Trace on!" he said before his bow appeared in his hand, and a sword to go with it.

"No! We don't have time to fight them! We just need to get inside this building we're on, they can't use their gear indoors. The wingspan is too prohibitive for effective indoor combat and generating a defensive territory in close quarters is stupidly dangerous," she said while cutting open the roof door and then kicking it in.

"Won't you have the same problem though?" he asked as she made her gear vanish as if it never existed, leaving her in just her wiring suit.

"Yes. But none of you will and they can't do anything to be a threat to you without active CR units. Now move it!"

"Yes ma'am!" yelled Shirou and Waver as they started running after her into the building, Gray, and Tohka following close behind.

"She's a fine woman Shirou. Don't ever let her go," remarked Waver.

"I don't plan on it."

"Miss Kusakabe. Won't they just try to ambush us once we emerge from the building again?" asked Gray.

"Sure they will. I taught them to do exactly that and more. That's why we're not going to exit the building from the street level. This building has a sub-basement parking lot which is shared with the two buildings next to this one. From there we can exit through one of the others and they'll be none the wiser," she said while running down the stairs.

"How did you know that?" asked Shirou.

"I bothered to look at the building map on the way up. How do you think?!"

 _I'm no leader, but she certainly is. Thank you for introducing me to her Kotori._

"Hmmm. I wonder why it hadn't occurred to me to do that as well?" wondered Waver to which Shirou nodded along.

"Because you're both men. You never read the instructions," answered Gray in a blunt tone.

Shirou and Waver both flinched as if they'd just been smashed in the face with imaginary bricks.

* * *

 **Misaki**

Kotori and the sisters Yamai stood back to back in a circle as they were slowly and deliberately surrounded by the DEM wizards. All of them wore red wiring suits and had identical combat realizers which were much smaller on their backs than any of the units Kotori had previously seen.

"Hello again Kotori Emiya," said a woman with dark red hair and icy blue eyes as she made her landing. She had a large pistol like weapon leveled against the three spirits. "What is it with you drawing spirits like a magnet? First Princess, then Hermit, then Nightmare, and now the Hurricane Children. Following you certainly makes finding spirits a lot easier. Perhaps that's why they have a use for you?"

"Sorry… I kinda forgot your name…" remarked Kotori while throwing a lollipop into her mouth which quickly calmed her nerves.

"Jessica Bailey. Now. If you'd please come with us quietly this doesn't need to get ugly," the woman answered the small twin-tailed girl.

Kotori shook her head, "It can't be helped. I don't know if anyone told you, but any minute now you're going to face things worse than spirits by far. But first I'm going to try and kick your ass myself," remarked Kotori with a proud grin as she gathered balls of fire into her hands.

Jessica put a hand on her hip with an unimpressed look on her face.

"But. If I don't manage to end you before my Uncle Shiki and Aunt Arcueid get here, you'll wish you had just fried in my flames!"

"Oh that's right, you were a Magus weren't you? Well it won't make any difference. I've killed six Enforces since I've been in Japan. What chance do you think you have?"

"Let's find out!" yelled Kotori as she threw one of her flames at the woman who simply took off and evaded the flame.

"Protect territory, deploy," she said lazily as the fire changed course and hit her in the back, nothing penetrating her shield. "Kill the spirits, I'll get the girl," she ordered to her subordinates.

"Yuzuru! Let's kick ass!"

"Anger, I am unable to contain my rage."

"Elohim Tzabaoth," the twins said in unison to don their matching spirit vestments.

Kotori gathered flames in her hands again as Jessica came slowly towards her.

 _She's not taking me seriously. I need to turn up the intensity. Kurumi said I had to brute force this when she was telling Origami about the gun she fixed up for her. But if I go too far… Can't think about it now, it's them or us! I can't be a hero if I need Kurumi, or anyone to protect me!_

The wizard leveled her pistol at the twin-tailed redhead. Kotori threw her flames at the ground and raised her wall of fire as the trigger was squeezed, vaporizing the bullet that threatened to kill or wound her.

With an angry gleam in her eyes, and teeth tightly clenched, Kotori pointed out at the woman as she commanded her flames. "Incinerate her!"

"Protect territory, maximum output!"

 _She controls the fire as if it were a familiar… I've never heard of magecraft like that. Is this why you're so interested in her Ellen? If she's strong enough to attract your attention, maybe you should have given me Cecile for this job? No matter. I'll get it done._

Jessica used her jetpack to fly in close to Kotori where she landed and attempt to subdue her. As soon as her shield was down so she could try and grab her, Kotori reinforced her body to the fullest extent she was safely able and jumped up to land a vicious kick on the woman's face. Jessica staggered back when Kotori followed up with a savage and exceptionally painful punch to the centre of the woman's chest where the nerve cluster in her body ignited to cause as much pain as it would have if she'd been set on fire.

"Don't underestimate me!" barked Kotori as she tried to follow up with one more kick.

Jessica caught the foot this time. She wouldn't make that mistake twice and decided to take the little girl seriously now. She slipped her foot under Kotori's other leg and sweeped her down to the ground. But before she could follow up, the little girl grinned mischievously and ignited two more fireballs in her hands.

The woman quickly jumped away from Kotori and activated her defense shield as the fireballs came at her once again. She then reached around behind her back and drew out her energy sword before coming back down at the twin-tailed magus.

"Now you've pissed me off! They want you alive, not intact!"

Kotori widened her eyes and started running around to try and keep distance between them as she hurled more and more fireballs at the woman.

 _Damn it! I can't breach that shield with just fire! What the hell did Kurumi mean when she said I'd have to brute force it?! Fire isn't going to affect it! If I get taken by her, Pops is gonna go berserk. Origami will never forgive herself… and Kurumi will lose whatever few marbles she has left… I need a weapon!_

The image of Kurumi holding her mystic codes in defiance of Jessica and Ellen appeared in her mind's eye. It was then replaced with the image of her father holding his twin falchions. Then she saw Tohka holding Sandalphon.

 _I need a powerful, exquisite weapon! Like the ones they have!_

Suddenly Kotori bumped into something and fell down onto her backside. She looked around and found herself enveloped in a green bubble made of honeycombed sections.

"Well. This is the end of the line for you little mage. Nightmare isn't here to save you this time."

Kotori looked up into the sky to see the twins fighting with all their might against the other wizards. But even they were starting to look tired. Their movements were becoming sluggish. If she couldn't act, they could perish, and Kurumi's promise to save them would be broken. Kurumi herself would be broken if she failed to save them.

 _Kurumi's done so much for me… I have to help her. Help her help them, help her help us all! I need power! I need a weapon! A strong weapon! A powerful weapon! A weapon to inspire fear!_

 _These people drove me out of my home. And came here to hurt us all… I can't allow that to go unpunished! And it wasn't only this time… Kurumi has suffered so much because we couldn't beat these people before…_ _ **No more! It ends here! She doesn't need to be my hero anymore! I will be hers!**_

Kotori closed her eyes and felt a rage build up inside her like nothing she'd ever felt before. Her blood was as fire in her veins. The inside of the energy shield she was trapped in started to feel smolderingly hot. A sweat broke out across her whole body.

 _I remember now…_

"You're wrong Jessica… It's not me who needs a savior. It's you! **ELOHIM GIBOR!** "

" **What the hell?!"** she exclaimed as she ignited her engines and took off to put distance between her and the small girl she had trapped in her territory. The shield was suddenly struggling to contain an inexplicable firestorm.

When the territory failed, all that remained was an an explosive conflagration which burned with an intensity that seemed to overpower even the sun itself. It bathed the area in its blazing light and caused Jessica to shield her eyes from the blinding bright inferno that started coming towards her at a dangerously high velocity.

The heat began to increase as the fireball came towards the red wizard who for the first time since this battle began, felt true fear. The blazing storm separated into a collection of rings which encircled the little girl at its center. Jessica started flying away from her as fast as she could, but no amount of engine power her CR unit was producing could keep her ahead of this hurricane from hell.

The girl was wearing different clothes, she had horns tied to the sides of her head with her black ribbons. A low cut dress with vibrant white, pink, and black colors that seemed to blaze the same as the flames with which she was surrounded.

Humans feared fire. It was a natural reaction to fear that which could cause you harm. Evolution programed this response into humans. But it was her eyes which pushed Jessica Bailey beyond the realm of the healthy fear humans had for the things which could harm them. The look in this little girl's eyes inspired the kind of abject terror no fourteen year old girl should be able to inspire in a grown woman. Those burning red eyes flared with an unspeakable intensity, as if they were portals into the realm of hell itself though which she truly believed the Devil himself would reach through and rip the soul out of her body.

" **Camael!"** the burning demonic spirit screamed at the top of her lungs. Then a formidable giant red double bladed ax literally burned into existence in her waiting hands. " **Payback time!"**

Jessica turned to face her opponent with wide fearful eyes, "Protect territory! Maximum forward defense!" she cried out as Kotori brought the ax down upon her with enough force to knock her away, even against the power of her jet pack's engines trying to keep her stationary.

Kotori then ascended into the sky where Kaguya and Yuzuru were fighting for their lives with a giant lance and chain whip respectively. The first Wizard she encountered wasn't prepared for her onslaught and was knocked completely out by the ferocious impact to his defensive shield before the flame spirit moved onto the next who tried to defend himself with his territory but was knocked away out of control like his comrade had been.

"Surprise, Kotori Emiya is a Spirit?" remarked the robotic Yuzuru.

"She's powerful too! Look at her go! Wooooo!" cheered Kaguya.

"Suggestion, perhaps it would be wise to resume combat now?"

"Yeah! We can't let her show us up like this! Let's go!"

The twins took up their weapons once more and prepared to reengage in the battle when suddenly both felt a strong force tugging at them. Trying to pull them together.

"No! Not now! Not like this!"

"Agreement. We need to fight. Please Kaguya. Be strong. We must resist."

"You're right… we're stronger than this! Come on! Just a little longer then we'll decide!"

* * *

Kurumi ran into the area with Origami still in her arms and gently set her down with her eye in the sky. Origami reached around behind her and pulled out her pistol while walking forward to the remains of a DEM Wizard where she picked up his rifle. Kurumi walked up beside her with her eye still set in the sky.

"You're going to try and emulate me with a rifle and pistol now?" she asked casually.

"Your tactic is to use a shot to penetrate the shield before finishing them off. The theory is sound. If my pistol can do that too, the rifle will let me finish the job."

"Origami. I just have one question for you," she stated gravely, "Have I earned your trust?"

The silver haired girl leveled a curious glare on Kurumi, "Is this the time for that kind of talk?"

"Yes. Answer me. Please."

"Yes Kurumi. I trust you. Implicitly. I'll put my life in your hands if I need to, and I know you won't fail me."

"Good answer. Just two more questions before we can do this. Do you love Kotori as much as I do? How far would you go to protect her if I couldn't?"

"Don't you already know the answer to that? I would have imagined you would have seen for yourself how far I'd go for Kotori many times by now. There's nothing I won't do for her. Nothing I won't fight for her. She's the only friend I have. I love her as much as I love you!"

Kurumi slowly nodded her head again, "I hope that's true this time…"

"What do you mean 'this ti-"

Kurumi turned her eye on Origami as she cut her off. "Do you remember what I whispered to you before I went off to stop _her_ from killing my father?"

Origami narrowed her eyes, "Yes. You said the flame spirit couldn't have killed my parents. You said you couldn't prove it, but you knew it was the truth. Why is this important now?" She then slipped her pistol into the back of her pants and reached out to grab Kurumi's arm. "What's the matter with you?"

"Because the Flame Spirit is up there now, and if you can't keep your priorities straight we're going to have very big problems between us..."

"What are you say-" Origami looked up into the sky at what Kurumi's eye was watching.

The Flame Spirit was darting about from wizard to wizard with the Yamai sisters and violently knocking them around. Origami narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her weapons.

"Impossible…"

"This is the last secret I kept from you Origami. Because I didn't know how you'd react this time. The Flame Spirit from five years ago… was my little sister. It was Kotori. Now I will ask you this straight. Give me a straight answer. Can you put it aside until I can prove her innocence, can I count on you to have my back in this fight no matter what?"

"You know what you're asking me for…"

"The flame spirit is the reason you joined DEM, the reason you became a wizard. The reason you wanted to help the AST after you turned your back on Ellen and the others. All this time the Spirit you were looking for was your own best friend. Or in my time, the baby sister of your girlfriend… Someone who loved you dearly, who looked up to you. She still loves you and looks up to you as a guiding influence in her life… That's who you think killed your parents. You're as much a hero to her as I ever was Origami..."

 _Please make the right decision this time… I don't have enough time left... Please don't ruin it now…_

When she saw her facial features morph into a look of deep inner turmoil, Kurumi decided to push a little harder, "Origami… You're not like me, you have a greater capacity for love than you do for hate. Your love saved me when nothing else could have… Please… I beg you..."

Origami pulled her hand away from Kurumi and balled a fist, with a loud scream she punched herself hard in the face, drawing a curious glare from the raven-haired magus.

"Fine! I won't hurt her… I'll give you a chance to prove you're right. I want to believe you! So I choose to believe you! I choose to believe my capacity of love for you both is greater than my capacity of hate! Let's go take my anger out on Jessica!"

Kurumi grinned mischievously and put a hand on Origami's shoulder. "Then you need to get up there and join that fight. I can't shadow walk without Zafkiel or I'll burn up all my magical energy before I get half way up there. And you can't fight while carrying me."

"How could I get up there? I can't fly without a realizer. So what are you suggesting?"

Kurumi looked her dead in the eye with that mischievous grin, "Put down your guns, and take off your cloths. I have a little Deus Ex Machina of my own for you to surprise those DEM bastards with. I only wish I could see the look on Jessica's face when she sees you with it. Take a picture if you get a chance."

Origami raised a very curious eyebrow at the grinning Kurumi.

"We don't have a lot of time. Kotori's spirit powers are going to start having a very negative effect on her if she keeps using them like she is."

"Like they do with you?" asked Origami as she started stripping.

"Worse. I had to trade my time for my power. She has to give up something even more precious."

"Could she die?"

"Depends on what you mean by dying… Now hurry up while I explain my plan."

* * *

 **Fuyuki**

"Gathering cloud sword style!"

Shido attacked first, engaging an executor in close combat. The energy swords attached to his arms being easily blocked before he disengaged and moved onto the next target while his sister came in from behind and cut through the man with her physical sword.

It was a brutal and bloody battle between over a hundred wizards and seventy Holy Church Executors. Through they were outnumbered, and often fighting two or three against one. The Executors were formidable opponents who could hold their own against the Wizards. Indeed, standing up to overwhelming odds was the norm for them, and any competent fighter in their secretive world. The DEM Wizards may have been newcomers to this world, but they were by no means incompetent fighters.

Ellen Mira Mathers recognized that all the Wizards here were capable combatants. She developed their training program after all. But when it came to the Holy Church, the Wizards were simply outmatched through no fault of their own. Black Keys were simply the nemesis of the Wizard, and anyone who wasn't an above average close combat fighter didn't stand a chance against them.

It was for that reason that Ellen held back the vast majority of her forces and simply had them hold position high in the sky to defend the headquarters from any surprise attacks. She would send none but the most capable close quarters combatants like the Takamiya siblings to engage the Executors.

It wasn't that she was incapable of joining the battle she was presently overseeing. In fact, every fibre of her being longed to join in on the fighting. But she also had a certain set of skills which would be needed later, and thus, she had to conserve her power for when it would be most needed.

When it came to the Enforcers though, only the best of the best could go up against a DEM Wizard. Their defensive territories blocked out most magecraft, and the Wizard could retaliate and easily overwhelm all but the best of the Enforcers. Unfortunately for all involved, the Enforcers presently in Japan met the latter qualification. They were some of the best and most experienced combatants the Association had to offer. Thus the reason Ellen chose to take the most conservative approach to this battle she possibly could.

It was a sorry state of affairs. The Church were suppose to be the allies of DEM. But something went wrong to instigate this war. Ellen had no idea yet who or what was to blame for that, she had her hands full dealing with the situation in Japan and couldn't pay attention to what were meant to be the responsibilities of others.

It was a sad truth in war, the best laid plans seldom survived contact with the enemy.

Pushing all thoughts of how her present situation came to be completely out of her mind, she refocused herself on pelting the area around the Takamiya siblings with support fire from her rifle. Though it had little effect on the forces of the Holy Church who could easily deflect bullets with their Black Keys it kept them distracted long enough for Shido and Mana to engage and eliminate their targets. Something she had to credit them for. They were very efficient about it.

Cecile hovered beside Ellen and added to the support fire with her own automatic rifle. "Where are the Enforcers? Why are they just letting the Church fight alone?"

"I don't know. But stay alert. When they show up we'll take care of them. For now, let Shido and Mana do their thing. We don't want to overcommit now and miss whatever surprise they have in store for us."

"I understand. But. I just don't feel comfortable just hanging back while they do all the work and take all the risk."

"Look at them down there. What do you think you can bring to that? If you join in that melee you'll just be getting in their way, or worse, get yourself pointlessly killed. The best thing you can do for them right now is to stay here with me and support them on an as needed basis with your magecraft."

"I understand, but still… It's hard to just watch like this…"

"Sometimes you really surprise me Cecile. An eleventh generation magus who doesn't reek of blood is eager to jump into a fight against the Executors because she can't stand to watch her boyfriend and his little sister, who are born warriors, fight alone and maybe get hurt. I know I don't give any of you much reason to trust me, but just this once, trust me to know what I'm doing. I know exactly what those two are capable of, and if I thought for a moment they needed help I'd be down there right now."

Cecile sighed with a pained expression on her face as she slowly nodded her understanding as she resumed firing for whatever good it would do beyond conserving her magical energy for the real fight Ellen was expecting her to participate in.

* * *

Shirou, Waver, Gray, Ryouko, and Tohka all hid behind a car in the underground parking lot which was being shredded by massive amounts of weapons fire.

"I thought they wouldn't have known about this parking lot Ryouko!" remarked Shirou, shouting over the sound of gunfire echoing through the parking lot.

"Obviously the figured it out! Can we hurry up and figure out what to do about it instead of how this happened?!"

Waver calmly took a breath, "Tohka, are you able to move with your shield deployed?"

"Yes. I can," she calmly answered.

"Good. You and I will rush their centre. Shirou from the left. Ryouko, from the right. Gray, I want you behind Tohka and I. Use us to cover your approach. Once we're close enough, engage and don't hold back."

The hooded girl gave a small nod.

"Ryouko. Are you alright with this plan? Will you be able to fight your former subordinates?" asked Waver with a stern look into the woman's black eyes.

She slowly nodded in response. "Let me try and reason with them first. If that fails, then we'll attack. Is that alright?"

Waver nodded, "Yes. I understand."

Ryouko screamed at the top of her lungs, " **Cease fire! I said cease fire damn you!"**

" **Crease fire! Everyone cease fire!"**

"Kannazuki? Is that you there?" asked Ryouko once the gunfire stopped.

"Yes, poor little me had to shoulder the burden of the command you abandoned. But since we're talking, what pray tell are you actually doing here now?"

"It's a long story. But why are you here? Don't you know the alarm was false?"

"Yes. DEM was about to be attacked so they summoned us for reinforcements. But when we detected your stolen CR unit, we got orders to recover it, by any means necessary. Now I'm getting orders from DEM to leave here and join their battle. I wonder what you might have done in my position?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? There's a reason Origami left DEM, I wasn't about to let her be forced to take orders from them! You have no idea what she's been through! I _**will**_ protect her, and I _**will**_ kill all of you to do that if I have to! I'd just rather _**not**_ have to do that. So please stand aside, let us pass, and don't make us hurt you!"

"I'm afraid we've been given very clear, and very specific orders Captain. We were told to find you and return your realizer to the base at all costs."

Ryouko raised her eyebrow. "That's it? Just the realizer?"

"Those were the _very_ _specific_ orders we were given. Word for word."

The other members of the AST all nodded to each other in concurrence.

Ryouko didn't even need to contemplate that. "Alright. I'm going to come out and hand it over. I'm going to give my weapon to my ally, and step out unarmed. One of you meets me halfway to take the unit. Agreed?"

"Agreed! Private Okamine, step out and receive the realizer. Everyone else, lower your weapons," commanded Kannazuki.

Ryouko and Shirou exchanged looks for a moment before she handed him her rifle.

"What's so important to them about the realizer?" he asked before she could stand up.

"I don't know. Normally it would just be a write off. But if they want it back more than they care about me stealing it... that's just another mystery. As long we don't have to fight our way out of here, I'll take what we can get."

"Agreed. Be careful. We'll watch your back."

Ryouko nodded and slowly stood up from behind the car they were using for cover and started walking out to the halfway point between her and the line of AST soldiers.

Ahead of her, a small girl with short brown hair and little pigtails sticking out the sides started walking forward to meet her.

As the two came close enough, Ryouko materialized her realizer and turned her back towards the smaller girl, she then knelt down to allow her to remove the unit.

"Captain… I wish you wouldn't have left us. But. Could you tell Tobiichi something for me?"

"What is it Mikie?"

"Just tell her thank you, and that we all miss her. For someone who wasn't very good at making friends, she had more than she knew. Same goes for you Captain. I hope you're successful in whatever you're trying to accomplish."

"Thank you. I'll pass the message. Disconne-"

Ryouko suddenly cut herself off as her ears detected a noise coming towards them.

"Captain? I really do need your reali-"

"Shhhh! Listen! What the hell is that?"

"It sounds like music?"

As it drew closer, it was accompanied by the sound of hundreds of marching boots hitting the ground and then singing.

" **J'aime l'oignon frit à l'huile! J'aime l'oignon car il est bon! J'aime l'oignon frit à l'huile! J'aime l'oignon, j'aime l'oignon!"**

"What the hell? Is that french?" asked Ryouko in a loud voice.

"As if DEM wasn't enough to contend with, now we have to deal with the Frogs too?" complained Waver.

Gray raised her eyebrow at her master ever so slightly, "Is there anyone in the world that you actually like? Or at least respect?"

"Hmm… Present company excluded... Not really. No," was his court response.

" **Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas! Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas!"**

Shirou stood up from behind the car and yelled at the top of his lungs towards the AST, "If you all want to live past today we need to work together now! Everyone get over here quickly!"

"Kannazuki! I don't mean to usurp your command here, but anyone who doesn't want to die, better do as that man says and follow me!" she yelled in her most authoritative voice as she ran back towards her allies, half way back Shirou threw her rifle to her and she caught it.

Meanwhile, those of the AST who felt more loyal to Ryouko than to their new commander didn't hesitate in running after her while reloading and preparing their weapons for combat.

"Well, no sense standing around now, let's go!" Kannazuki commanded to the rest as he started running forward and reloading as well.

" **Mais pas d'oignons aux Autrichiens. Non pas d'oignons à tous ces chiens. Mais pas d'oignons aux Autrichiens. Non pas d'oignons, non pas d'oignons!"**

"What are we up against Shirou?" asked Ryouko.

"Nightmare. Kurumi Tokisaki."

"Didn't she lose all her Spirit powers before we sent her off with Origami and Kotori?!"

Shirou shook his head, "We sent the real one off with them. It's complicated. For now. We're up against a legion of musket wielding copies of her. They fire shadow bullets which aren't all that strong, but they have some kind of special attack that can breach your shields, and even Tohka's. So don't let them hit you with that or you're dead. Beyond that, she's a powerful magus in her own right capable of magecraft she calls 'Shadow porting' which looks like my tracing ability. So who knows what else is in her arsenal. Just think fast and stay loose. They'll also fight us with Napoleonic tactics. She seems to be into that sort of thing. Even dressed her clones up like little orange coated Napoleonic soldiers."

" **Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas! Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas!"**

Ryouko nodded her understanding before turning to the AST members, "Alright everyone, loosen up! Heavy gunners in the centre, lay down suppression fire as soon as you have eyes on your targets! Riflemen spread evenly on the left and right flanks and provide cover fire as needed! Use all the available space to spread out. Be sure to check your targets to avoid friendly fire accidents! And for the love of all that's holy, don't waste your ammo unless you're going to hit something! **And while you're at it, stay the fuck out of each other's shield space!** "

Shirou turned to Tohka and nodded at her, "You may as well. We're going to need your full power if we're going to get through this. Just remember not to let her hit your shield with those special bullets of hers."

"Shirou… Are we really working with the Mecha-mecha Squad? This doesn't feel right."

" **Mecha-mecha?! HUH?!"** chorused the AST members.

Shirou tenderly placed his hand upon her shoulder and looked deep into her violet eyes. "We don't exactly have a choice right now. We either trust them and maybe survive this battle. Or we don't, and we all die. But I can't force you to trust them. I know what you've been through with them, and others like them. So it's up to you Tohka. I'll respect whatever decision you make."

Tohka gave a firm nod in response, "Adonai Melek,"

Suddenly the AST all gawked as she donned her spirit armor.

"Everyone stay calm and remember who the real enemy is right now! Tohka is on our side!" yelled Ryouko in her commanding voice.

"But Captain! That's Princess! She killed a whole platoon of us!" yelled one of the soldiers.

Ryouko leveled a hard glare on the soldier, and then looked around at the other confused AST members, "Be that as it may. That was then, this is now! Our comrades were soldiers and knew the risks! Tohka was our enemy before, but she's our ally now! When you see what we're up against, you'll be grateful for any help she can give you!"

Waver smiled at Ryouko, "If only I were twenty years younger…"

"You still wouldn't have stood a chance," remarked the hooded girl standing beside him.

"Why are you being so mean to me today?"

"Because I don't like it when you start angsting over your misspent youth," she said while pulling back her hood and reaching into the right sleeve of her coat to pull out a small bird cage.

Shirou widened his eyes at the young woman beside Waver, for the first time seeing her face.

 _My god… She's the spitting image of Saber! Gray hair. But the face, the eyes, even the hair style…_

Gray transformed the bird cage into a large scythe which she then held beside her. Shirou instantly managed to read it and even add it to the blade works.

"What the hell?!" yelled Ryouko amidst the murmurs from the soldiers as they all beheld the vicious looking weapon the gray haired woman was holding in her hands.

"Grim Reaper… The scythe of the Death God… But that's not all it is, is it?" Shirou asked aloud.

"Correct Mr. Emiya. But perhaps instead of gawking, you should be busy preparing yourself for battle? There isn't much time."

 _Even the attitude… This is so surreal._

"Trace on," said Shirou as he brought out his bow and a sword to load it with.

Ryouko looked at the sword in Shirou's hand. "What's that thing? I've never seen a sword like that before."

"It's called Lævateinn. The Damage Twig. It's a Noble Phantasm capable of autonomous combat. By launching it into the clones it'll start fighting on its own for as long as I can keep it in the world."

"Your version of a Drone strike?" asked Ryouko with a raised eyebrow.

"Something like that," he said while configuring and loading the sword into his bow.

"You're just trying to sound cool for the girl with the Grim Reaper's scythe, aren't you?" remarked Ryouko with a chuckle. "No need to feel inadequate, your swords are cool too," she added teasingly.

Shirou's lips curled into a mischievous smirk, "By the way. If you're still wondering what Saber looked like. Gray is literally her twin sister."

 _Two can play this game._

Ryouko turned to look at Gray properly for the first time without her hood up.

 _I don't swing that way, but damn it if I'm not tempted to try! Well played Shirou! Points to you. I'll even up the score though! Just you wait!_

"Gray is her descendant. That's why she looks so much like her," added Waver in a matter of factly manner.

"Well. I'm glad to have you on our side Gray. I'm sure you'll fight as good as you look," said the still smirking Shirou, very much to Ryouko and Gray's vexation.

If the snickering echoing around them was any indication, the tension in the atmosphere had been lifted and moral was up to a high point. Even if it was at her expense, Ryouko was nevertheless pleased with the end result.

Mikie Okamine widened her eyes at what Shirou had just said and done. "Your boyfriend is so cool Captain Kusakabe! So are his friends! Aren't you glad we all made you agree to date him?"

Ryouko turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Standing there is the descendant of _**King Arthur**_ _,_ holding the scythe of the _**Grim fucking Reaper**_ _,_ and you just watched him use magic to recreate a legendary sword, and that's all you have to say?"

"Actually, Add is just a mystic code which becomes the scythe. The purpose of which is to contain the mystery of-" started Gray before being cut off by the angry Ryouko pointing and yelling at her.

" **Don't start explaining it! You'll just make it less cool if you do!"**

The little girl pointed to the parking lot entrance ramp with her rifle, "I'll gawk at those things later. We have a bigger problem incoming."

" **Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas! Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas!"**

The clones of Kurumi came marching down the ramp, muskets in hand all ready to fire from the hip as soon as they had targets.

"Heavy gunners! Open fire!" commanded Ryouko.

The members of the AST wielding the heavy gatling guns in the centre of the formation squeezed their triggers. The gun barrels began to rotate and spray bullets into the clones as they came into view.

Meanwhile Shirou drew his bow and waited for the opportune moment to launch the Damage Twig into the clones.

" **I am the bone of my sword! Lævateinn!"**

* * *

"Cecile! Cease fire!" ordered Ellen before putting a hand on her earpiece. "Say again control. Say again!"

Ellen's eyes widened at what she was hearing.

"What is it Ellen? What's happen- What the bloody hell is that?"

" **Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas! Au pas camarades, au pas camarades! Au pas, au pas, au pas!"**

"It's Nightmare, and she's raised an army this time. I think I know what happened to the Enforcers now… Reports say she's also attacked several shelters and killed everyone inside… Covering this up is going to be…"

"A Nightmare?"

"To put it mildly. Anyway. You wanted a fight, well, you're about to have your fill."

" **Un seul oignon frit à l'huile! Un seul oignon nous change en Lion! Un seul oignon frit à l'huile! Un seul oignon un seul oignon!"**

Cecile sighed with exasperation, "I thought she was a Spirit, nobody told me she's a bloody Frog!"

"Hey! Executors! We're all about to be outnumbered a hundred to one! A three way battle isn't in anyone's best interests here! If you're willing to stop this battle and join us to-"

Ellen was interrupted by a set of black keys thrown at her with which she narrowly dodged. "I'll take that as a no then…"

The Irish girl shook her head before speaking into her comm, "Shido, Mana. Disengage and fall back to our position. All Wizards, disengage and regroup around the HQ."

"Cecile! What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled furiously, "Belay that order and continue combat!"

In response she pointed to the streets around them, "Ellen! Don't be daft! Look at what's coming. To hell with the Church, hell itself is coming towards them! They'll figure it out on their own and they'll either choose to co-operate with us or be slaughtered, but we won't stand a chance if they catch us out of position like this! You know I'm right! Don't let yourself get tunnel visioned!"

Ellen grit her teeth and slowly nodded, "Nevermind, do as Adeptus Five says. All Wizards disengage and regroup around HQ. Deploy all our reserves and evacuate all nonessential personnel from the HQ and other facilities. Contact the JGSDF and tell them we need those AST reinforcements very soon! Also get me an ETA on Adeptus Four."

"Ellen. Whatever we may think of you sometimes, you are a strong wizard, an excellent magus, and a brilliant tactician. But even the best sometimes need competent advisors who can say no to them when they need to hear it. If you want me to trust you, you'll need to trust me as well. This is a lot to manage for one person. Especially in the face of what's coming. So can you trust me to help you manage things if you won't let me fight on the front?"

"Alright Cecile. We'll do this together. I'll stay here and command the defense of the headquarters. I want you to take Shido and Mana, as well as a platoon of heavy weapons specialists and conduct an offensive recon mission. I want a more precise estimate of the number of clones Nightmare has out there, and I want you to check and verify the status of quake shelters, if necessary defend them from attack. Use your discretion, but keep in touch with me. Understood?"

Cecile smiled proudly at Ellen, "Now that's the kind of leader I want to follow."

"You were right. I got tunnel visioned. I didn't help build all of this to just stand by while a Spirit commits genocide. You have your orders Adeptus Five. Carry them out and show me what you're really capable of."

"Yes ma'am," said a happy Cecile before she powered up her engines to start gathering the people she needed.

* * *

 **Misaki**

"Hahaha! There's nothing more pathetic than a warrior who can't stand up and fight when war is brought to him instead of the other way around!" taunted Kotori as she repeatedly slammed her ax into a DEM Wizard until his shield popped and blood erupted from his mouth.

"Now you die!"

Kotori heaved her ax up high, but before she could bring it down over his head she was suddenly enveloped in another territory which she couldn't shatter no matter how hard she bashed it with her ax.

"Thank you Captain! You saved my li-" the man started to say to Jessica but was interrupted by a bullet to the head.

"What the f-?!" questioned the red wizard as the blood splattered all over her.

Kotori's eyes widened at the person who now hovered in the air in front of her. The silver haired, azure eyed girl was wearing a white armored CR unit and matching wiring suit with thigh high armored boots and high heels which conspired together with her proud and dignified posture to give her a majestic and in fact regal appearance. The pearlescent whites of her armor shimmered in the sunlight in contrast to the more matte color of her wiring suit. Her porcelain skin radiated a light all of its own as she floated gracefully between Kotori and the sun, giving her an angelic brilliance, as if all the sun gods decided to work together to cast this warrior in only the most perfect lighting possible.

"So beautiful…" the flame spirit muttered in awe of her best friend.

Her equipment featured three armored panels around her waist like an armored skirt which was open in the front and went down below her knees. There were light armored pauldrons on her shoulders and heavy gloves covering up her forearms. On her back were two powerful looking engines mounted between four wing like protrusions which kept her airborne.

Conspicuously absent from her though, were any weapons. Leaving Kotori to wonder what killed that man and how exactly she planned to fight Jessica.

"Are you alright Kotori?"

"Yes… I'm sorry I kept this from you! I'm so sorry!"

"What the hell was that for?! And how did you even kill him without a gun?!" demanded Jessica.

"It wasn't me. My business is with you," she stated matter of factly before turning back to Kotori, "You shouldn't be the one to do this kind of thing Kotori. The blood should only stain our hands. Never yours."

"Our?"

Origami's response was to point downwards to the top of a tall building where Kurumi lifted her head from behind the scope of a sniper rifle and waved at them both with a happy smile.

"Origami Tobiichi," the woman growled her name through clenched teeth. "Where the hell did you get that?! Alice is suppose to still be under construction!"

"The Cheshire Cat herself brought it to me from wonderland," she icily replied while holding out her right hand to the side, an energy sword hilt then materialized in her grip. "Kotori, go to Kurumi. She needs your help now. I'll deal with this."

Origami charged towards Jessica who started shooting with her handgun but she managed to evade every single shot by flying in a barrel roll towards Jessica who was then forced to redeploy her protective territory onto herself and thus freed Kotori to fly down to her waiting sister.

While in the protective bubble, she put away her handgun into its holster and drew her own sword from behind her back while she and Origami circled each other to maintain distance between them. Each looking for the opportune moment to engage.

 _I have you now… How were you ever in the Triple S?_

"Deploy territory!" yelled Jessica.

The green energy shield surrounded Origami for the briefest of moments before it was inexplicably repelled. Origami closed the distance with her sword ready to strike the killing blow.

"Protect territory! Deploy!"

She was then enveloped in her protective bubble just in time to block out Origami's killing blow.

 _The Alice was suppose to produce a defense field to prevent the Wizard from falling victim to a targeted territory. But it hasn't even been tested yet! How is this even possible?!_

* * *

Kurumi picked up a bullet from a set of jewel tipped shells attached to the side of the rifle's stock. She took a moment to carefully inspect the ammunition and asses the stability of the contained mystery. It was .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge that had its bullet replaced with a brightly glowing yellow jewel. She took a moment to close her fist around the cartridge and infused some of her Od into it the before carefully pulling back the receiver bolt and loaded the bullet into the chamber before she released the bolt and lifted the rifle up to peer through the high powered scope.

"How many guns do you have?!" asked Kotori as she landed beside the raven-haired magus.

"Just the three…" she casually remarked.

"Where did Origami get her gear? She said she didn't have any?"

 _Something's wrong with Kurumi. She looks just as sluggish as the twins do. Her posture looks tired. She's keeping it off her face. But she looks all wrong..._

"I gave it to her. It's a new model that they haven't even finished building at this point in time that the three of us suped up for her exclusive use. No more questions now. I need to concentrate, so stay here and watch my back. These won't be easy shots to make, even for me. I promise to explain everything later."

Kotori watched with curiosity as she looked through the large scope and aimed the rifle. It was some kind of compact sniper rifle with a very large scope mounted on top of it. Though it looked modern, it somehow also looked like an antique. 'Walther' and 'WA2000' were written on the side that Kotori could see. A cloud of darkness gathered around her as she flooded the weapon with mana. Now revealing it to be yet another mystic code for use with her thaumaturgy. "I am the shadow on which I stand… darkness is my prison, and the clock is my chain… _**Zafkiel, El Mufaraka!**_ "

 _That aria is the most awful thing I've ever heard… Even worse than Pop's. But isn't Zafkiel the name of her Angel? I thought she lost all of its powers..._

When she fired the bullet up into the sky it took on a trail of blackness as it pierced through the azure sky, and even visibly curved. Jessica Bailey's shield looked like it was destroyed even before the bullet actually hit, allowing Origami to engage her in close quarters combat.

 _The other one used the first line of that same aria when she fired at Jessica before… I know now that Jessica's shield was stronger than the others I hit. But why did she add the second line this time when the first line of her aria gave her enough to destroy her shield the first time? And how did the bullet curve in the air like that?! Arrgh! Why can't I ever make sense of her or her mysteries?! Or anything about her!_

"When you have an affinity for time, which I gained through Zafkiel, you can make all sorts of fun things happen."

"Huh?"

"You're trying to figure out my mystery."

"Yes… Sorry."

"I wish I had time to explain it. It really is fascinating how I pull this off. For now all you need to know is that with my power, and the power contained in these particular bullets, I can reverse cause and effect to guarantee a hit on my target instead of Origami."

 _She can reverse cause and effect?! That sounds like high-thaumaturgy or even actual freaking sorcery!_

"How many times can you do that?"

"One more time if I absolutely have to. So she needs to make it count. In a more general sense of the question, I had twenty bullets with which I can actualize this ability, and I just used one. So nineteen more times."

 _I could fire all of them if that bitch wasn't eating up my mana like Tohka and a loaf of kinako bread… Nothing I can do about it though. Just need to stay focused and be useful here for as long as I can._

"I'll go help her!" said Kotori while looking up in the air.

"If you even think about going up there right now, this next bullet will have your name on it."

"You would actually shoot me? With one of those precious bullets?!" asked Kotori with a disgusted glare on Kurumi.

"To keep you from getting in Origami's way. Damn straight. It's not like it would kill you. But it would be extremely painful. Getting her to go after Jessica instead of you just now was hard enough. The less you rub your spirit form in her face for a while, the better this will go for all of us."

* * *

Origami pushed Jessica back with her sword as another Wizard tried to outflank her, Origami held out her free hand and commanded her CR unit to materialize her pistol and fired a single shot which, much to her relief functioned as advertised and passed through the comparatively weak shield and lodged itself inside her skull, a second Wizard tried to outflank her but met with the same fate. Origami considered trying it on Jessica but thought better of it and simply put the pistol away with Kurumi's words ringing in her head.

" _Jessica's realizer produces the strongest defensive territory. But I have a weapon that can breach it from the ground without any risk of hitting you, so save your pistol for the trash mobs."_

" _Trash mobs?"_

" _RPG lingo… I mean the ones who aren't stupidly strong like Jessica."_

Origami quickly brought out a DEM model compacted bullpup style assault rifle from the Alice's arsenal and started firing wildly upon the red haired woman in an effort to force her to put up her shield again. But rather than give her what she wanted, Jessica opted instead to evade in a fast and wide arc while descending towards the Earth.

 _I won't fall for the same trick twice! But why is Nightmare sniping from the ground and not walking up here to join the fight? Origami was the designated sharpshooter of the team when she was a member. She also specializes in the use of heavy weapons and close quarters combat. Nightmare does all of that as well. In fact she does it just as well as Origami… Or is Nightmare actually a better shot than she is? No. There can't be a connection there, even if they're on the same side now, Nightmare's combat style isn't anything like Origami's. No matter! You may have been good enough for the Triple S, but you're nothing without the rest of your former team! You're even less with that psychotic spirit on your side! She won't even use her full power to help you!_

Origami followed her as quickly as she could while continuing to fire on her with the assault rifle until it was out of ammunition, she removed the magazine from near the rifle's stock and returned it into the Alice's storage system before drawing out a fully loaded magazine and slapping it into the rifle. After chambering the first round she resumed firing.

 _The Alice is incredible, this storage system must be what Kurumi based her Shadow Porting ability on. There are so many weapons in this thing, and it sacrifices nothing to maintain high mobility. It's like it was designed specifically for me, every one of these weapons is something I'm well trained with._

" _After we liberated it from DEM, we spent a lot of time customizing this thing with you. After gathering weapons for it from anywhere we could, Kotori and I applied reinforcement magic to every weapon, every bullet, every little thing in this system from top to bottom. There are other features it has I don't have time to go over with you which I don't even fully understand anyway. But I'm sure you'll figure them out yourself on the fly. You set them up after all."_

 _Thank you all. With this, I can fight properly!_

A group of four wizards came at her as she chased after Jessica, pistols and assault rifles firing.

"Protect territory, deploy!"

Origami turned her eyes on the four of them coming at her and highlighted them all with her CR Unit's augmented reality vision system provided by her head gear attached to her temples. She then went to select the weapons with which to counter attack.

 _The Alice can maintain a protective territory while deploying remote weaponry outside the territory... Impressive. It's capable of deploying targeted territories which are the inverse of a defensive territory. They'll let anything in, but nothing out. Alice can even create a boundary field which will ensnare whole groups in its targeted territories just like my old White Licorice could._

"Targeted territory! Deploy!"

The field around her then expanded exponentially until it ensnared the four wizards.

She then looked through her weapons selection menu and pulled up the list titled 'Remote Weapons' but found the item numbers next to each weapon system was zero. She also didn't recognize the names of any of the weapons which used to be there. Things with odd names she couldn't understand, like Shemesh, Kadour, and Artelif.

 _What gives? Is my past self being stingy, or was she just too trigger happy for our own good?_

She then closed the menu and opted instead to simply leave them trapped, correctly guessing that Kurumi would also provide support fire from the ground. Which was indeed the case as all four were quickly shot in rapid succession by shadowy projectiles from Kurumi's position.

 _Alright, yeah! We really do work well together Kurumi. How did we ever lose a fight?_

" _...Do you love Kotori as much as I do? How far would you go to protect her if I couldn't?"_

" _Don't you already know the answer to that? I would have imagined you would have seen for yourself how far I'd go for Kotori many times by now. There's nothing I won't do for her. Nothing I won't fight for her. She's the only friend I have. I love her as much as I love you!"_

" _I hope that's true this time…"_

" _What do you mean 'this ti-"_

 _That must have been it. I chose to fight Kotori, and I turned Kurumi against me… Am I really that selfish? No! I can't think about this now. I can't be responsible for what these other versions of me did in the past. I can only be responsible for my own actions. I'll sort it all out later... Jessica is moving to regroup her allies and to disallow Kurumi from getting another good shot at her territory. We need to regroup as well._

Origami quickly changed course and moved to support the twins. With a decisive assault she sought to take some pressure from them by rampaging through a group of six wizards with her sword and assault rifle.

" _If you can take her out after I destroy her shield, do it. If not, get the twins, and come down to the roof. Then I'll lay out the rest of the plan."_

Kaguya impaled a wizard upon her lance while two more circled behind her and started shooting. Though her spirit armor protected her well enough, some of the bullets managed to get through in her weakened state, causing her to scream in pain before Origami enveloped them in her territory. Both were then sniped from the ground by Kurumi's shadow bullets.

"Kaguya. Are you alright?" asked Origami while the other wizards disengaged to rejoin with Jessica.

"I'll be fine. It'll take more than their pathetic attacks to- Uugh! Not again..."

Origami's eyes widened at Kaguya became semi transparent before her. But she quickly returned to normal after a brief moment. "We need to regroup with Kurumi. Can you move on your own?"

"Damn straight I can!"

* * *

 **Fuyuki**

"They just keep coming! How many Nightmares are there?!"

"Captain! At this rate we're going to run out of ammo long before we run out of enemy!"

"Kakazu, Futaba, and Kinjou are all down!"

"So are Okazaki and Otonashi!"

"Hinata! Behind you!"

"Sunohara just got kicked into oblivion!"

"Matsushita!"

"Captain! There are more coming from behind us! We're surrounded!"

Ryouko briefly looked around while slapping her last clip into her assault rifle. There were more of the orange coated soldier Kurumis coming from behind them and they started opening firing. The amount of cover available around them was rapidly dwindling as the shadow bullets they fired had the effect of utterly destroying whatever they came into contact with. Whenever someone tried to put up a territory to protect themselves, there was always at least one Orange Coat who had one of those special shots ready to destroy the shields with.

 _I need a plan… Think Ryouko. Think! Everyone's counting on you!_

"Shirou! Can you do that thing you did in the park?!"

"If you want me to bring the buildings down on us, then yes sure!" he answered while shooting more swords into the clones.

 _Damn it…_

"Is your attack actually strong enough to do that Emiya?" asked the officer with the long blond hair.

"That and more. Why?"

"What are you thinking Kannazuki?" asked Ryouko.

"I think he should do it. If I can coordinate all our territories at once, using Princ- I mean Tohka's power. Then we should be able to survive!"

"That is insane! We'd be trapped!" she cried out. "Anyone have any **good** ideas?!"

Waver looked at the blonde man, "Can you really do it? Can you link their shields together to create this absolute defense?"

"Easily!"

"If you can just focus on the shield. I can provide us a means of escape after."

"You're all on board with this idea?!"

"Make the call Ryouko! We don't have much time!" yelled Shirou.

"Or ammo!" added the young Mikie Okamine.

"Or food!" added Tohka which drew more than a few raised eyebrows as she cut the air before her with her sword to send a wave of energy into the group of Kurumi soldier clones coming from behind them.

"Alright! Everyone give Kannazuki control of your territories! And pray to whatever you pray to that we won't all regret this!"

"Princess! I need you here! Someone hold her place on the line!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Go! I'll hold them here for you!" yelled Gray as she rushed into the fray with her scythe.

"Gather the wounded and regroup on Kannazuki!" ordered Ryouko as she fired into a group of clones and slowly stepped backwards.

"Sorry Tohka dear, I need to use you as a battery to make this work. Just kneel here and hold still," he explained to the curious looking spirit. After a moment of hesitation she grudgingly complied and he put his hand on the exposed part of her chest just below her neckline.

"We're a little short on time, but if you grope her we're going to frag you Captain Pervert!" yelled one of the female AST members.

"Oh you know what I like to hear!" he said with a grin.

"Kannazuki… If we all end up in hell, I swear what I do will make Satan himself think I'm being too harsh on you!" yelled Ryouko.

"YES! YES! KEEP TALKING LIKE THAT!"

"Ryouko… What is wrong with this man?" calmly asked Waver.

"Quicker to tell you what's right with him. He _**sometimes**_ knows what he's doing," she answered before firing a shot at a clone before she could shoot her.

"He's using his suit like magic circuits to channel Tohka's magical energy to supplement whatever powers your realizers to increase the potency of the mystery which generates your defense shields... I must confess that is very clever. For someone who isn't a magus to understand the very concepts he's manipulating. I think he could be excellent proof of an old theory of mine. If we live past today, I may have to borrow him for a while."

"I'm sure you mean well with the praise mister. But Kannazuki works better when he's being humiliated for some reason…" remarked one of the AST soldiers.

Shirou loaded and fired another Lævateinn into his bow and launched it at the clones in the rear, now maintaining two copies of the Noble Phantasm. He then traced Caladbolg II into his hand and reformed it into an arrow. "I'm ready when you are. Just give me the word!"

"We're all ready! Hurry up Kannazuki! We're losing good people here!"

"Done! Everyone gather close! Fire when ready Emiya!"

"Everyone huddle! Gray! You too!" screamed Ryouko at the top of her lungs.

Gray nodded as she disengaged from her battle and ran towards the huddling soldiers.

"Give me some cover fire!" yelled Shirou as he loaded the sword into his bow.

"Cover fire!" yelled Ryouko.

Shirou then stood up when he had the opportunity and drew the bow. Mana began to surge around him with a blue and red glow as he flooded the Noble Phantasm with magical energy.

"I am, the bone of my sword... **CALADBOLG!** "

* * *

Cecile, Shido, and Mana all looked to the city skyline as three buildings collapsed, sending dust and debris throughout the city.

"What the hell was that?" asked Shido.

"I don't know. We'll check it out next. First, check this shelter and see if there's anyone who needs help. We'll cover you from out here," ordered Cecile.

Shido and Mana both nodded before making their descent and landing on the street below. They then walked up to the heavy doors which would lead to the underground shelter and peered inside before walking in.

Five minutes later, they emerged and gently shut the doors behind them.

"How does it look in there?" asked Cecile from where she was hovering.

Shido shook his head, "It's bad. But it fits Nightmare's MO. There's blood, signs of struggle, but no bodies. Everyone's just gone."

Cecile slowly nodded. "Let's move onto the next shelter. Hopefully she hasn't reached it yet. This time I'll go in while you two-"

"NO!" they both screamed at her.

"What?"

Shido leaped up into the air to hover in front of Cecile. "What was in there, isn't for your eyes Cecile. I never want you to have to see anything like that with those beautiful eyes. It's bad enough you had to see us fight and kill. But not that. I can't let you see anything like that."

"I appreciate the thought Shido…" she said while reaching out to cup his face in her hand. "But with sight, one has to take the good with the bad. It's just the way the world works."

"You two are so sweet... Do you realize that you're going to make us all diabetic?!" exclaimed KURUMI.

Mana drew her sword while her brother activated the twin energy blades on his forearms. Cecile tightened her grip on her rifle and looked around to asses the situation.

Suddenly the Kurumis began to appear and shoot their shadowy projectiles from all the dark spaces between the buildings, and even out of the street itself.

"Return fire and take to the sky! Move it!" yelled Cecile at the top of her lungs. "Move move move!"

The Orange coated soldier Kurumis began running up into the sky after the DEM wizards on their shadowy platforms. For every one the Wizards killed, two more seemed to emerge from the street level to take her place.

Shido noticed that one of the clones stood out from the others. She was wearing the orange and black gothic lolita dress Nightmare was most known for. "That's the real one! Let's get her Mana!"

The ponytailed girl firmly nodded to her brother.

" **Gathering cloud sword style!"**

"Zafkiel! Zayin!" yelled KURUMI as she held her guns up against the giant clock face, she then pointed her guns at the siblings and squeezed the triggers. Both Shido and Mana then became frozen in time.

"No you don't!" yelled Cecile while directing her hand at the spirit. Her magic crest now became visible on the exposed sections of her chest and abdomen, "Counter!"

KURUMI flinched as the mystery took effect on her, painfully shutting off her magic circuits. The platform of darkness she stood upon vanished from under her as well and she fell to the street where she vanished into a shadow which opened up to receive her. The time stopping spell she had over Shido and Mana was destroyed and the siblings were instantly disoriented as their bodies readjusted to the normal flow of time.

Cecile sighed with relief as she took a moment to reassess the situation. All the the clones of Kurumi had vanished along with the one she had just disrupted, prompting the ginger haired Irish girl to raise a curious eyebrow.

"What did you just do?" asked Shido as he and Mana came to hover beside Cecile.

"Counter magic… I disrupted her circuits. The effect seems to have carried over to all the copies around her as well and they all retreated."

"You're amazing Cecile! I promise we'll pay more attention when you try to teach us that next time!" exclaimed Mana.

Cecile couldn't help but smile, "Our work's not done yet. Let's move on. We're here to protect the shelters. If we encounter more of her army, I'll try it on one of the copies and see if it won't have the same effect."

"Good plan. Let's go."

* * *

 **Misaki**

Kurumi felt a surge of power in her body. Kotori instantly noticed that something came over the raven-haired girl. She covered her missing eye with her hand and for a short instant where she could see her face, she looked pained. But after a moment, she let go of her eye and her posture took on a more refined and elegant stance than what she had a few moments ago.

 _Some of the mana being drained just surged back into me. How? Why? That pain in my eye socket... What did it mean? Did Zafkiel just try to flow back into me as well? What's that stupid bitch gotten herself into?_

"Wow… She's really kicking the crap out of them," remarked Kotori as she watched Origami fight in the sky. Again deciding to not say anything about Kurumi's current state of being.

Kurumi flashed a toothy grin, " _Magnificent_ isn't she? Anyway. I need you focused entirely on staying in control," she stated while putting her sniper rifle back into the shadows. "It's time to end this."

"Shiki, Akiha, and Arcueid are coming. They'll be here any moment."

"Then we just need to hold out until then. Not a problem. If this next phase of my plan works, we won't even need them, but it's good to know back up is on the way."

A moment later Origami and the weary looking twins landed on the roof beside them.

"All we have to do is draw them in now. Once we have them where I want them I've set something up that'll dish out one hell of a curb stomp. But if they don't come for us, Origami, you'll be with me on the front line. Kaguya, Yuzuru, take it easy and hang back, you've done more than enough. Kotori, protect them. That's your only job. Do you understand?"

"Yes Kurumi. I understand."

 _I wish I had the time to tell her the truth now… I had all the time I could have wanted before, but I wasted it. Fell completely back into the lazy carefree slob I was when this all began. How pathetic is that?_

Thirty eight Wizards gathered in the sky above the highrise building the group stood upon.

"Regrouping is generally a good tactic in a battle like this. But you should have been retreating while we were regrouping. Now you're outnumbered and surrounded."

Kurumi grinned mischievously as she reached into her pocket to pull out a small cylindrical object. "Oh I'm surrounded alright…" she remarked as the wizards spread out to encircle them. "I'm surrounded by dead people who have no idea of the trap they just walked into."

Jessica rolled her eyes, "For some reason you're not even fighting at your best Nightmare. Where is that army of you? No Angel? No Spirit Armor? Not even your guns at this moment? It's almost disappointing not to fight you at your best. Move in and take them!"

The Wizards responded to her command by moving to land on the roof with their weapons pointed. Kaguya, Yuzuru, Origami, Kotori, and Origami all closed the distance to each other until they stood in a small circle as the Wizards slowly approached them.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Kaguya.

Kurumi slowly nodded as the intricate clockwork like magic crest revealed itself on the exposed back of her dress. "Yes. I'm going to kill them all. When you see the signal, take off. Deal with any survivors and don't worry about me," she said before the sound of two clicks was heard coming from whatever was in her hand.

 _Time alter, double accelerate!_

Suddenly the rooftop began exploding around them and all four girls and the surviving Wizards who were able took flight without an iota of hesitation as Kurumi vanished from sight.

Origami looked around for her with watering and fearful eyes before she caught sight of the elegant gothic girl again with her arms around Jessica's neck. The red haired woman began to fly erratically as she attempted to throw the raven-haired magus off her.

"Kurumi!" she cried out in desperation as she started pursuing them.

* * *

" **WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! WITH A FRIEND LIKE YOU THEY DON'T EVEN NEED US FOR ENEMIES!"** screamed Jessica at the top of her lungs in panic and desperation as she tried to push, punch, and kick Kurumi off her.

"War is such hypocrisy isn't it? You're angry because I killed all your toy soldiers. I'm angry because you tried to kidnap my little sister, kill my friends, and even my girlfriend, and not even for the first time! But now that the tables have turned on you, you're angry? Did you actually think it was alright to try and kill us without being prepared to be killed yourself?"

" **GET OFF ME! GO TO HELL!"**

Kurumi wrapped her arms around Jessica even more tightly until her mouth was next to her ear, "I'm already in hell. What you're fighting is just the shadow of the person I was. An echo from a life long gone... You can't get rid of me any more than you can get rid of your own shadow."

" **WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?! TELL ME!"**

"I'm not a spirit anymore… I'm just a mage. More than that, is not for your ears! Find out in the afterlife."

"So that's why you hid behind Origami!" she said as she punched Kurumi repeatedly in the sides and tried to kick her off, but she just held on tighter as the two flew higher and higher into the sky.

"You don't get to call her by name! _**This**_ is your punishment for that, and for picking on my precious little sister," she spoke into the woman's ear before letting go, plunging herself back down to the city.

While falling away from her, Kurumi waved a hand with a happy smile as Jessica looked at her with a raised eyebrow before the jewel she left in the woman's CR unit exploded.

As Kurumi fell towards the cold waiting earth, she closed her eye and adopted a serene smile.

 _Didn't really think that one through did I? But I suppose I never really expected to go out in a blaze of glory. Though I always kind of hoped I could._

 _Well, it is what it is. Nothing to be done about it now is there? I'm about to be taken into my prison of darkness. Soon to be locked in the cage of silly dreams I've built for myself out of all the hopes I once allowed myself to cling to so tightly..._

 _I accepted this fate a long time ago. But now that I'm face to face with it. All I feel is regret._

 _I gave all of my life, and all of my time, but I failed to be a person you could be proud of. I've killed so many more people than I've saved._

 _My hands became the very hands of time itself and still I couldn't save a single person._

 _It figures. I have to wonder if my father ever really knew what it meant when he said his hands would never hold anything. Time always slips. The hands of time, my hands, literally touch everything, but they really could never hold anything. Especially with all the blood I've soaked them in… so many times over. Maybe that's part of why she never got over the hate we once held for him?_

 _Even with all my power, even with all my tenacity, determination, and relentlessness… Now, at the very end, I've amounted to nothing. I tried walking your path, and I've left it in ruins. My only destination now... is oblivion._

 _Forgive me… Sofu-sama._


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

* * *

 **Fuyuki City  
2027**

It was late in the evening, the full moon filled the sky and bathed the city in its light. High up on the top of the tallest building in the city stood a young girl, flintlock pistol and musket in her hands. Her left eye, a golden faced clock which rapidly rotated in reverse as the darkness gathered around her, merging into a single shadow at her feet until the clock finally stopped and the shadows morphed into a single shape cast by the moonlight.

The girl heaved a heavy sigh as her eyes scanned the ruined city around her, the smoke rising from the fires in the streets and buildings. The sounds of gunfire and death echoed all around her.

A gentle smile came upon her lips as she raised her weapons. "I need to be stronger. I need to be more powerful. Not for me. But for them."

"What are you doing?" asked a voice from somewhere in her blind spot. "Coward! Are you going to just walk away from everything you've caused?!"

"Far from it Shido… Far from it."

"Then what?!"

"I'm going to try again."

"From where I'm standing, it looks like you're running away from your consequences!"

"Zafkiel… " she said to manifest the giant clock behind her.

"You know I can stop you..."

"Yes. You could. But you're not going to."

"You seem overly confident in that statement," he said as he raised his right arm, his equipment in its laser weapon configuration.

"If you were in my place. Do you believe for even a moment that you would do anything less for your sister? Look around you Shido. Is this really the ending you want? That can't be true. Everyone we love are all dead and gone. All we have left between the two of us is our hatred for each other. I don't want to live like that. Do you? That's why I'm going to start a new game, and I'll replay it as many times as it takes to get to the good ending."

"Life isn't one of those visual novels you're so fond of Kurumi!"

"People have said that life is a game. But nobody before me has ever had both the power and the audacity to treat it like one," she answered with a wink. "But you know... That's the first time you've ever called me by my real name. How interesting. Who knows. Maybe on my next try, you and I could be friends. But that might just be wishful thinking on my part. You and I always seem to end up worse than my father and Shiki Tohno."

"I don't want to live this any more than you or anyone! But life is pain! Life is suffering! Life is loss! To reject those things is to reject being human! Time isn't something we were ever meant to mess around with! You could just make things worse!"

"Nothing can be worse than being alone. As long as we have the people we love, we can get through anything. But without them, what's the point?" Kurumi then put her musket and pistol to the twelve o'clock positions on the face of the clock. "Zafkiel, Yud bet," she said before shadows flowed from the clock and into the barrels of the weapons.

"Please don't do this… Don't invalidate everything we've all fought for. Everything they all died for!"

She lowered the musket to her side, and brought the pistol gently to the side of her head. "I really do so dearly wish we didn't always have to be enemies. But I suppose you and I are far too alike to ever get along. But I promise you this. However much we may hate each other, I'll still make sure you get your good ending as well."

"Whatever. Just don't make fun of Mana next time. That's a sure way to get me to hit a lady," he stated coldly as he slowly lowered his weapon.

Kurumi turned to give him a small, but sincere smile as she squeezed the trigger.

* * *

 **Fuyuki City  
1995**

Along a quiet street in Fuyuki walked a tired and weathered looking man wearing a casual kimono. A half smoked cigarette in his mouth which he puffed on while holding a bag of groceries in one hand, his other hanging loosely at his side.

"Pardon me…" came a voice from against the wall as he turned a corner.

The man stopped in his tracks and turned his eyes to his right, and then down to spot the raven haired girl standing with her hands neatly held in front of her. She had one bright blue eye staring up at him, an eye patch and bangs concealed her other eye. Her long black hair flowed freely behind her back. She was elegantly clothed in a black dress with white ruffled frills and red ribbons detailing it. Her legs were covered in black stockings, and her feet had a pair of well polished, almost mirror like black shoes.

He kept his cold, lifeless stare on the her without uttering a single word. When she decided he wasn't going to speak at all, she spoke again.

"I'm sorry to trouble you. But.." her blue eye turned down to the ground under the weight of his glare and a single tear escaped down her cheek. "I need your help. I had nowhere else to turn."

"Do you even know who I am?" he asked with a barren and dry voice. "Because if you did, you'd know that I should be the last person on this Earth anyone would ever turn to for help at this point."

"Yes," she said with a small nod before slowly turning her wet sapphire eye up to the man's almost black eyes. "You're Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer."

The man narrowed his eyes at her as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and smoothly discarded it. "I don't know how you found me, but you must be very resourceful. I'm afraid you've wasted your time though. I've been retired for a long time now, and there's nothing you can offer that will make me change my mind about that."

The girl shook her head, "I know. I'm not looking to hire you. That's not why I came to find you…"

"Then why?"

The girl took a deep breath and wiped away the tears leaking from her eye.

"If I introduce myself… You'll understand," she said before taking a deep breath and then looked deep into his eyes. "My name. Is Kurumi Emiya. I'm your granddaughter."

He started walking away from her with a small shake of his head, "Very cute… If that's all I'll be going now."

"It's true and I can prove it! I'm Shirou's daughter!"

Kiritsugu paused in his tracks.

"It's true. I was born on the eleventh of november, twenty eleven. Here in Fuyuki. I can prove it if you let me. Please _sofu-sama!_ I beg you. Just hear me out. You don't know what I went through for this chance to meet you. You're the only one who can help me. Please!" she tearfully pleaded.

"Follow me then. I'll give you one chance to prove you're telling the truth, or to prove you're as insane as you sound."

Kurumi wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and with a little spring to her steps, briskly walked to catch up with her grandfather.

* * *

Kurumi stood in hesitation the threshold of the Emiya house while Kiritsugu held the gate open for her. "I suppose I didn't really think this part through…"

"Giving up on your bad joke already? It's bad form you know. But you're still invited. So come in."

"That's not what I meant… I may have neglected to mentally prepare myself to meet my father when he was six years old…" Kurumi quickly took a deep breath, "Is he home?"

"No. He's in school. So come in already."

Kurumi nodded and slowly walked past the threshold. She suddenly felt a wave of calm overcome her and it brought a smile to her face. "Your bounded field… That's amazing."

"Wouldn't it be the same in 'your time' or are you not living in this house?"

"No. The house is the same. The bounded field though… I think it's safe to say that it's my mother's work on it that's changed it. You can still feel this same human emotion in it. But it's different, it feels like the love she had for my father. But there's also this, ruthless quality to it, which, pretty much defined my mother. ' _ **Shirou! The light's out in the bathroom!**_ _**Go change it immediately!**_ ' is the feeling you get from the bounded field in my time."

Kiritsugu couldn't help but laugh at her impression of her mother as the pair walked through the front door of the house. Both left their shoes near the front door as they walked through the entrance hall and into the livingroom.

"I don't believe this…" she said with a wide eye at the living room. "Nothing has changed! Literally nothing! This table will still be here! Oh and my TV! This is in my room now. Well… Not now now… But… gah. The only use we have for this old thing is for my antique gaming consoles, I like to play retro games sometimes and this thing just works best for it. I had to use reinforcement on all the components it to keep it working though… Amazing! It's literally older than I am! That's so amazing!"

"Well… If your proof is as good as the way you're acting, I might owe you an apology, 'granddaughter'."

"Oh. Right. I haven't told you anything about anything yet. I'm sorry. I'm just amazed at how little will change between now and then. This living room is exactly the same. The only change will be on this wall here…" she said while gesturing to the wall away from the door leading to the veranda and bedrooms. "It's full of family pictures. Of my parents, of me, of my sister. Of places my mom and dad have been in their travels. There's also a few more decorations on this side cabinet here…" she said while gesturing. "It's covered with souvenirs from places they've been, and things they've done."

"May I offer you some tea?" the man asked.

"Yes please. But after you see what I have to show you, and tell you what I'm here to tell you. Well… you might want to keep some sake ready… We'll probably need it."

* * *

The two sat on the veranda with their tea cups cooling beside them both. Kurumi took her smartphone out of her purse to show her grandfather everything she promised to show him as proof of the veracity of her story. The device itself was technology beyond the most advanced of the time, and proved beyond a doubt she was indeed from the future. But it was the photos collected within its memory which was the real treasure trove of evidence to support her claims.

"This is your son all grown up," she spoke softly as they leaned in close together so they could both see the screen she was holding between them.

Kiritsugu looked at the picture of the man his adopted son would one day become with wide-eyed wonder. "That is incredible…"

"To go to the next picture, you just put your finger here like this and gently swipe your finger across the screen. Do it the opposite way to go back if you want to," she explained while putting the phone in his hands so he could swipe through the pictures.

Kiritsugu did as he was instructed and had a chuckle at the next photograph on her phone. Shirou and Rin were in the kitchen after Rin had pulled a prank on her husband by covering him in the flour he was using to bake something. Shirou did not look amused while Rin was wearing her infamous 'I win' smile for Kurumi's camera. A very cheeky expression on her face with a thumbs up gesture. But more than just the amusing moment captured on this fantastic device, was the proof of what Kurumi was so amazed about when she walked into the living room. The house really didn't look any different. At least not the kitchen. There were, Kiritsugu guessed, newer appliances for the time, but that was all.

"Is this your mother? She's so beautiful… You certainly seem to take after her more than your father."

Kurumi nodded her head in excitement. "Yes. Her name was Rin Tohsaka."

He coughed and choked on that information, "Tohsaka? Tokiomi Tohsaka's daughter?!"

Kurumi nodded her head, "Yes. That's exactly right. She's the one my father will eventually marry."

"Should I even know any of this? Won't it affect the future? Or did you not think this through either?"

Kurumi sighed and shook her head, "Acting on impulse out of sheer desperation without properly thinking things through is in my blood. Mom used to tell me it was a character flaw of my father's that I was better off without. But… For better or for worse. I am who I am."

"You talk about her in the past tense…" he observed with a cautious tone.

"She passed away. Three years ago. Well… Three years ago from my perspective."

"I'm sorry…" he said while quickly swiping through more images on the phone. Enjoying the little glimpses into the happy life in his son's future. "Who's this girl with the red hair?" he said, thankful to have found something to change the subject.

"That's my little sister. Kotori. We adopted her five years ago. Again, from my point of view. Daddy rescued her from a fire in Tenguu City. The way you saved him from the fire here."

"That's incredible," he said while getting misty eyed.

Kiritsugu then came up to a picture of Kurumi and Origami, cuddling together for a selfie. Lusty expressions on both of their faces. "Who's this? You two seem… close."

Kurumi took a moment to clear her throat and gather her nerves, "Umm. Yes. Well…" she said while taking back her phone and quickly swiping far ahead. "This is what I mean about not thinking things through… Sorry, these pictures are not fit for mortal eyes…"

Kiritsugu couldn't help but find himself amused at the nervous sweat drop expression on the girl beside him.

"Well. Her name's Origami Tobiichi. I met her for the first time in Tenguu City. Before the fire I mentioned. We were playing together when the fire happened. Four years later we were reunited in Fuyuki, first year of high school. And… After realizing who we both were, and how much we'd grown up, and, ahh, _changed_..."

"So she's your girlfriend?"

"Yes… I hope that doesn't… You know…"

"That's your business, not mine," he said after she handed him back the phone. He then resumed swiping through pictures of the family in which Rin was now conspicuously absent.

He then came across a picture of Shirou with another woman. She had black hair tied up in a pony tail, and the two were sitting at the dining table with mugs of beer, each with an arm around the other and a stupidly big smile on their drunk faces.

"Does he start dating again after your mother passed?" he asked while gesturing to the picture.

"Yes. But not her. That's Ryouko Kusakabe, she's an army captain and Origami's mother, err, guardian actually. But I call her Origami's mother to remind my father that he's forbidden from dating her because it would make things awkward for myself and Origami. She eventually adopts Origami properly and becomes her mother. But her and my father are good friends though."

Kiritsugu smiled and nodded his understanding before swiping to the next picture. This one of Kurumi, Origami, and Kotori standing together for a photo during their archery club practice.

"You practice Kyudo. That's impressive. It's good to know that won't die out."

"My father practiced it when he was my age. He introduced me to it before I started high school. Kyudo became a very big part of my life after I got Origami interested in it. We're both what Aunt Tiger calls 'Kyudo Extremists' because of how strict we are about everything revolving around the practice."

The magus killer chuckled heartily, "Aunt _Tiger_ , I hope you don't let her hear you call her that."

"Only when she's being obnoxious," answered a grinning Kurumi. "Kotori on the other hand, calls her that with impunity. She can pretty much get away with anything because of her weapon grade moe."

Kiritsugu passed her back the phone and took a very deep breath while gathering his thoughts on the matter. "Well... I believe you now. This is just too much to all be an elaborate hoax. I know of no magecraft which can produce false images like these, nor any technology which can come close to this device here… But. I gather from our first meeting that you didn't come here because you wanted to meet me. I'll be dead long before you're born."

Kurumi slowly nodded her head, "I wish meeting you was the only reason I chose to use this power I have to come here now. Things happened in my time. Things I don't know if I can fully tell you about, but I'm going to try now…"

* * *

Kiritsugu held his sobbing granddaughter against his chest with his eyes widened in shock and horror as he processed the story she told him.

"I've tried six times now to fix things. Telling everyone everything that happened the second time just made things worse. The third time wasn't any better… Fourth and fifth I tried other ways of going about it but no matter what it all comes down to just one thing… I'm not strong enough. I need to be stronger. I need to be more powerful. Not for me. But for them. For my baby sister, for Origami, for my father, for our whole family! There was only one person I could turn to who could teach me what I need to know to fight this battle and win..."

"I understand why you'd think that. But the things I have to teach… I decided I wouldn't pass down. And if everything you told me about your father is true, then I clearly didn't ever change my mind about that. For all the good that does..."

Kurumi pulled herself up from her grandfather so she could look into his already tired, but now visibly saddened eyes. So full of resolve was the fire in her sapphire eye that it held his complete and undivided attention.

"You didn't want this life for your son but he still chose it. But none of us chose what happened to us. That was decided for us. In trying to deal with it myself I made mistakes that I have to live with now. But I need to fix this. I can't just let this be the end of it."

"I understand how you feel. But what you're asking me for… It isn't an easy thing for me to reconcile with. I know you'll keep fighting no matter what. But maybe you'll get strong enough on your own? You do have one thing nobody else has. The ability to keep trying after you fail. That in itself is worth a lot more than any skills I could ever impart on you."

Kurumi shook her head, "I don't know the first thing about how to make myself stronger. I know magecraft, but I'm not nearly as strong as I thought I was. I'm not physically fit. I lounge around like a lazy cat all day and play games… That's why I need you to teach me. But I'm not just asking for your skills. I… I'm also… asking for… it. The Emiya crest. Mom couldn't give me the Tohsaka crest. I wasn't compatible with it because… Reasons. I need this. I'm asking you for it."

Kiritsugu shook his head in response as well, "I can't do that Kurumi. Even if I were willing, what makes you think you'd be compatible? You are an Emiya, but not part of my bloodline. You are however, in the Tohsaka bloodline. I don't understand why your mother couldn't pass on her crest?"

"If I'm going to be completely honest… I don't fully understand it myself. It has to do with my father. Something about him which passed onto me which made me incapable of accepting her magic crest. On my own… Well. My affinity is Darkness… I'm very limited in what my magecraft can accomplish. That's why I accepted Phantom's offer to grant me Zafkiel… A decision I'll forever regret. But I can't change that now. I have to live with what I've done and I have to fix my mistakes and get things right. I have to beat DEM to save our family! But I can't do that without your strength and power!"

"What makes you think you'd be able to take my crest if you couldn't even take your own mother's?"

"I have no idea… I just hope that if I couldn't be the Tohsaka heir, maybe destiny could make me the Emiya heir? Through Zafkiel, I gained an affinity for time now as well. The Emiya Crest was based on Time Manipulation wasn't it?"

"It doesn't quite work that way Kurumi. I'm sorry. I don't have a time affinity, but I can still use the crest. That's part of the purpose of passing down a magic crest. So the mysteries can be employed regardless of elemental alignment, and the mysteries of the lineage can continue to be developed. So... I just don't know if I can give you what you're asking for."

"If you could, would you? I need its power. I need its power to make full use of Zafkiel so I can fight and save everyone."

Kiritsugu couldn't help but snicker at her. "Somehow. I get the impression that in spite of how much you look like your mother, you are your father's daughter through and through. I really don't believe you're looking for power for power's sake. Your father's the same way now."

"If he thinks this way at age six… I promise you that even when he's thirty eight, nothing will have changed. But you're wrong about me. My father has this ideal he lives by. This pursuit of being a Hero of Justice. He got that from you. To carry your dream forward and accomplish that which you failed to accomplish for yourself. He idolized you beyond my ability to express in words."

The Magus Killer visibly flinched with a pained expression on his face but said nothing in response. Kurumi took that as a sign to go on.

"But not me. That's not who I am. I don't care about ideals, or being a hero, or any of that. Yes, I try to be good, and do good. But all I care about is my family. Being a magus means nothing to me. Being a spirit, even less. But my sister means the world to me, and I can't fail her. I love Origami with all my heart, and I want to make her happy. And while I'm at it, I have to save my idiot father as well. From becoming what my mother tried to keep him from ever becoming, and you're right that I will keep trying. No matter how many tries it takes, I will save my family. With or without your help,

"But if you're really the man my father spent his life trying to live up to, then I know you'll help me now. I've never known you in my life, but I'm more like you than him! And if what I just said is true, then the Emiya Crest _will_ pass to me and do what you wanted to do with it! I'll save my family, and I'll save the world while I'm at it. Not because I give a damn about the world and want to save it, but because one comes with the other and it just can't be helped!"

"For someone who doesn't care about being a hero of justice, you certainly seem to have fallen into the archetype."

"That's not me at all… I'm not a hero. I'm not trying to be a hero. All I want to do is protect my sister. My father's ideals hold him back from doing what needs to be done in order to achieve that. If anything... I'm more like you in that I have no qualms about doing whatever it takes to save what matters most to me… But I'm also different from you in that I would give up the world if it meant saving my sister."

Kurumi swallowed hard after seeing the look on his face, "I'm sorry. I sort of used Zafkiel's power to peer into your memories through objects you left behind that my father kept around. I saw a lot of your past."

Kiritsugu shook his head, "Then allow me to correct that skewed version of me that somehow exists in your mind, and put these memories you acquired into context. Listen carefully because if you really want to learn something from me, then learn this, and never forget it… The moment you allow yourself to believe that no price is too high, is the moment you've lost everything you've been fighting for. When I set out on my path, I wanted to be a hero of justice. But all I'll ever be remembered for is the fact that I've ultimately killed more people than I've saved. So much so that the people I did save are irrelevant next to the number of people I've killed. I fought in the Grail War with the goal of winning that cursed cup to wish for a better world. But what I found at the end of that journey was the simple truth that it was impossible, and that all I had managed to do was kill more people than I had ever saved."

"I'm already at that point… I've killed so many, but I've saved none. That's why I came to you."

"How do you weigh the value of life? What gives you the right to decide if one person's life is more valuable than another?"

"I'll tell you what I believe. Other people's lives don't matter to me in the least. I only want to protect my family. I'll do whatever it takes to achieve that. Anyone who stands in my way deserves what's coming to them."

"That sounds perfectly noble. Indeed, you should fight and perhaps kill to protect those you care about from those who threaten you. But. Consider this. That brother and sister you told me about?"

"Shido and Mana…"

"The way you told me their story made it seem like he loves his sister every bit as much as you love yours."

Kurumi nodded, "Yes. I don't doubt that for a moment."

"So. They were ordered to go after your sister. And each time you respond with violence. Each time you killed one, the other went berserk and forced you to kill them as well. That's two killed to save one."

"It was the way it had to be. I didn't want to kill them. The last time around, I didn't. Even though I wanted to. But one of them ended up dead anyway... No. I didn't kill them. They killed themselves when they came for my sister. They made the choice for me! They had a choice! They could have left DEM the way Origami did, but they chose to follow orders, and they died for nothing!"

"So the question I put to you is this. Why couldn't you find out their motivations? You said that Origami left DEM because of what they did to her. Did they not do this to them as well? Did you try telling them that?"

"They wouldn't listen. What else could I do? What would you do in my place?"

"When I was presented with the chance to attain enough power to save everyone. I tried to save everyone. I really thought that with the grail, I could save absolutely everyone. I was wrong. You shouldn't be asking what I would do. The question is, what should _you_ do?"

Kurumi took a moment to draw a breath and recompose herself, "I just don't know. I came here, to you, because, I had nowhere else to go. No one else who could help me. I don't have any of these answers. There's no way I can do what I need to do without killing a lot of people. My hands are already soaked in so much blood that I don't know if I can ever call myself an Emiya again. After that first loop… I was honestly too ashamed to even look my father in the eye. To do what I had to do... I had to shed myself of all the ideals he tried to teach me. Once I did that... I became exactly what you just told me you were. I can't be both a hero, and a savior. I just don't think it's possible. I can't save everyone."

"That's very true. You can't always be both. Very few have ever been both. But, you get a do over that nobody else has ever had before. Everytime you reset the clock, things go back to how they were, correct?"

Kurumi slowly nodded and wiped fresh tears from her eyes, "Yes. But that doesn't negate what I've done in the slightest!"

"No. It doesn't. In the end. All anyone can do is follow the path that's been set before them. I can give you the benefit of my experience, but you're the one who has to walk your path. Only you can decide what's right or wrong. You have to use the power you have to the best of your ability to accomplish the goal you've set for yourself. You have to determine your principals. Then. You have to construct a plan of attack to defeat your enemies using the tools available to you."

Kurumi slowly nodded and considered his words, "I don't know if I can do that. I don't have Origami's photographic memory… I don't have Kotori's genius, I don't have my father's power, and I especially don't have my mother's, or your ability to plan and strategize."

" _That_ is something I can help you with. They aren't skills that can be taught exactly. But they are things I can teach you how to teach yourself. Unlike most people, you have the benefit of being able to take all the time you need to sharpen those skills."

"Does that mean you'll help me?" she asked full of hope.

"It means I want to spend more time with you. Get to know you. Teach you some fundamentals… So yes. Yes I will help you. But we need to figure out a few things first, and I would like a chance to study this 'spirit power' of yours as well."

"I can accommodate the spirit power thing, that's not a problem. What else?" she asked with her face betraying every bit of her happiness.

"Your father. You do still want him to be your father after we're done here, right? Speaking for myself, I can say I do. I have a feeling that after I get to know you, my only regret in life will be my inability to be there to see you grow up. To be at his wedding… But it's enough for me to know he grows up happy."

"He does. He was very sad after mom passed… But he eventually found love again. Then he lost it again, along with everything else. That's part of why I'm fighting now."

"You're a good person, Kurumi Emiya. I wish I would be able to remember you after we're finished teaching you what you need to know."

"Why wouldn't you?" she asked with a curious eyebrow raised. "You want to wipe away all your memories of me after I'm gone. Don't you?"

"If I do anything different than I otherwise would have, your father could grow up to be a very different man. Make different choices. And then you wouldn't exist at all. It doesn't take a genius like your sister to figure that out."

"So I guess Grandpa's first lesson is for me to watch my mouth?"

"That would be a very good place to start. As you said yourself, telling everyone everything that happened ended up making everything worse. Because you created situations you weren't, and couldn't have been prepared for. What you want to do is create and manage situations to suit you and your strengths. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. Yes it does."

"Now. We have a few hours before your father… I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around that… gets home from school. Let's use the time productively."

* * *

 _Well... I haven't been this uncomfortable in a while..._

Kurumi was seated at the dining table on Kiritsugu's left hand side, while his son, her father, the six year old Shirou Emiya, sat directly across from his future daughter. He stared at her with curiosity, and her at him with trepidation.

 _If you can't think fast on the spot, no matter how uncomfortable you are, you'll be less than useless._

Her grandfather's words echoed in her mind, and she had no idea what he meant by them, until this moment.

"Umm. Hello there. My name is Kurumi… Tokio… Toki... Tohsa..aaa... Tokisakaa…" she stuttered and droned and stuttered more until it hit her, "Kurumi Tokisaki!" she said with conviction and a firm nod. "Yes. I'm Kurumi Tokisaki. Kiritsugu was kind enough to let me stay here for a while," she explained to the boy.

The Magus Killer leveled an inscrutable glare on her for a long moment before giving her a satisfied nod.

"Kurumi's father saved my life once. He's someone I know very well, and would do anything for. Now his daughter is in some trouble and needs my help. So I agreed to shelter her for as long as she needs it. I hope you'll help make her feel welcome here Shirou."

 _He just lied through his teeth without saying anything untrue!_

"Of course! You can count on it old man!" the boy answered with all his youthful enthusiasm.

 _Old man… He called his father old man? No wonder he always got so annoyed when I called him old man whenever we ended up butting heads._

Kiritsugu turned his eyes back on Kurumi and stared through her for a long moment.

Kurumi closed her eye and gave him a small nod.

 _Lesson learned Sofu-sama. Lesson well learned. Hide the lies with truth. I'll take it to heart._

She then turned a scrutinizing eye on her future father.

 _This is so surreal..._

"So… How about dinner?" suggested Kurumi. "If I'm going to be living here, I'll be happy to do the cooking. Unless one of you wants to?"

Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow at her, "Did your father teach you how to cook?"

"Of course! I'm my mother's daughter in the workshop. But I'm my father's daughter in the kitchen!"

"Can't be worse than the old man's cooking. I'll take a chance on her."

 _And there's the snark... He's definitely my father._

* * *

The next day, Kurumi and her grandfather were in the shed as the raven-haired spirit was making notes on an explanation he had given her on some of his magecraft when he suddenly changed the subject.

"The alias you came up with. Tokisaki. You were trying to do something with your other grandfather's name. Correct?"

"Yes. I'll need to work on a better alias incase I need one in the future," she said while setting aside her notes for the moment and sitting back to rest her weary mind.

"No. The one you came up with actually suits you. Toki, can be written with the Kanji for time. You can also write 'saki' with the Kanji for mountains. It seems fitting. Even if you hit on it by stuttering accident. It's a good name."

"Mountains of Time… Ffeh! Accidental brilliance is a family trait. From my mother, and father. Like when my father wrote my name on my birth certificate. You see… Mom and Dad didn't want to know if I'd be a boy or a girl. So they picked names for either outcome. Dad wanted to name me after you if I was a boy. Mom thought about naming me after her mom, but when she thought about it more she thought she could do better. So she really put a lot of thought into what she'd name me. Well. She decided on Kurumi. It was the name of a girl she once knew who helped her through a rough moment when she was little. She never told me the whole story. Anyway..."

Kiritsugu was working hard to stifle a fit of laughter that was building up. Somehow predicting where this was going.

"But when it came time to fill in the paper work they brought it all to my father to fill up while my mother was holding and doting on me, she didn't think my father needed supervision just then… **Big mistake!** So, Daddy, in his _**unlimited idiot works**_ , used the characters for **insanity** and **three** to spell my name without even consulting my mother on how she wanted to actually write it. Sometimes he's such an unbelieveable _**numbskull**_ like that…

"What possessed him to do that… I'll never know. But he was vindicated when I turned out to be what my sister describes as a 'yandere' chick. So… yeah. Accidental brilliance… Or is it more of a chicken and the egg scenario? Am I the way I am because of my experiences? Or did he curse me at birth to become this way?!"

Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer, was reduced to a belly laughing heap on the floor as he heard the story of her name. Kurumi couldn't help but catch his infectious laughter.

"For someone who's suppose to be made of swords… He's really not the sharpest tool in the shed is he?" asked Kiritsugu in his fit of hysteria to which Kurumi fell over onto the floor in laughter as well.

* * *

The next morning, long after little Shirou had gone off to school, Kurumi sat in the living room and patiently awaited the results of a test her grandfather had just finished administering to her. After a long moment he nodded his head, "I can confirm that your elements are indeed Darkness and Time. You said you only had the one affinity though, Darkness. So how do you now have two?"

"My understanding of my angel tells me I gained its elemental affinity beside my own. It's the same with Kotori. She gained a double fire affinity after becoming a spirit. Though, that's just my mother's guesswork. With Tohka it was Earth, Earth, and Void. Yoshino was Earth, Wind, and Water."

"That makes sense. There are ways of changing one's natural elemental affinity. Albeit, very painfully and dangerously. It stands to reason the Angels would have this effect on the receiver of their powers to allow them to use it to its full potential. Moving along. You said your origins are Determination and Relentlessness. Like me you have a double origin. Very interesting combination. I can teach you to harness that into a very potent weapon."

"I tried to apply your Origin rounds. It was messy, painful, and very ill advised. Also, when I reversed my own time to heal myself, the bone I cut out went back into me. But, it doesn't solve the baseline problem. I'd eventually run out of ammo, and getting more would be problematic to say the least."

"Interesting. Stupid. But interesting. Did you allow yourself to heal naturally before you tried reversing your own time again?"

"I wasn't exactly up for trying again. But I speculate the same thing would happen again anyway. I lost an arm once, and it just reattached itself to me. Zafkiel seems able to recombobulate me from just about anything, just as long as I'm able to load the power into my mystic code and shoot myself with the bullet."

"There are other ways of infusing munitions with your Origins. They won't be as potent, but they will be effective. We just need to figure out a delivery method. May I see your mystic codes?"

Kurumi nodded and reached to the floor behind herself and picked up her musket and pistol set, both of which were wrapped in black cloth, and set them down on the table for his inspection.

Kiritsugu picked up the musket first and unwrapped it from the cloth. He performed a function check on the weapon and closely inspected it before closing his eyes and performing structural analysis on the weapon. "This is excellent work. Truly excellent."

"My sister made them for me, with the help of Ciel, she's a member of the Burial Agency and a very close family friend. My mother apprenticed her in Magecraft for a while. Anyway, she provided the guns, and taught Kotori how to craft mystic codes. Kotori has a very strong aptitude for it. She made the guns for me, and something for my father which… Well. Something which answered a question for him. Let's leave it at that."

"I see. With a little adjustment... Tell me. How much did your mother teach you about the Tohsaka's magecraft?"

"Everything she knew. I continued to study it after she passed away sometimes. But I was mostly focused on trying to create my own mysteries since I couldn't recreate most of hers. I couldn't recreate my father's either, but I can construct shadowy facsimiles of his weapons, and other things. I call it Shadow Projection. In the end though, all the effort I poured into that amounted to nothing… The weapons had no real substance to them. What I tried to do was imitate my father's tracing ability by working on my own version of Gradation Air with my shadow element. I thought I was so strong because of it, but I was weak and pathetic..." she finished through clenched teeth.

"Calm down Kurumi. That's why we're here now, to figure out what you did wrong, and how you can adjust it to get it right. Now, the reason I ask about the Tohsaka mysteries is because of their knowledge of Jewel Magecraft. Did your mother teach you that?"

"She did. Yes. All I can do with it are a few cheap tricks though. Explosives and temporary shields, among other things."

Kiritsugu nodded, "You call them cheap tricks. But in my experience, cheap tricks are often the most effective. Mages never see them coming. It's inconceivable that someone would attack them with guns and explosives. Both of which you seem to be capable of employing."

"Inelegant dirty fighting…" she muttered.

"Now you sound like a Tohsaka," he said while wagging a finger at her, "Say what you want about dirty fighting, it works. You have a certain set of tools in your box. You need to learn to improvise with them and make them work for you. If you don't have a hammer to beat down a nail, use a stone. If you don't have a screwdriver, find anything that'll fit the screw and use it."

Kurumi rolled her eyes, "My father is really nothing like you. 'For every job there is a tool. For every problem there is a solution.' he would say. He was always particular about using the right tool for the job. The combat philosophy of a hero of justice who's a handyman on the side."

The magus killer had a light chuckle at that, "I suppose that's where he and I differ. If I don't have the right tool for the job, I'll improvise something. Improvisation and versatility will be your greatest tools as well. Learn to love them."

"Alright. So what are you proposing I do with jewels?"

"My own mystic code could only fire one round at a time. Yours seem able to function as quickly as you can cock the hammer. But if you do it the old fashioned way… I'm saying you can infuse jewels with your origins and make your own ammunition for these weapons. I can teach you the process. It's relatively simple and you already know how to infuse a jewel with a mystery and the magical energy to power that mystery. It won't be as potent, but it will be effective, and there are other ways of increasing the effect we can experiment with."

Kurumi's eye widened, "That's brilliant! With my Origins…"

"Absolute attack. A bullet which can breach any defense. Exactly. I'll set up a few training exercises. We'll assess your shooting ability and then see about creating this ammunition to deal with your enemies."

* * *

Kurumi took up a prone position on a highrise rooftop overlooking the city of Fuyuki. She lay with her musket held firmly against her shoulder. Kiritsugu knelt down beside her to correct her shooting posture and hand placements with the weapon.

"Now then, like I explained to you, carefully run your Od to your eye until you can see clearly in the dark. Good. Now. The wind moves differently in various places between you and the target. Since you can't see the air itself, look for the effects it has to judge the wind speed and direction."

"Do you think those factors will affect my shadow bullets?" she asked derisively.

"No. But they will all affect your jewel shots, which is why I'm teaching you this. So maybe assume I know what I'm doing?" he remarked with a light tap to the back of her head.

"Right. I'm sorry..."

"Aright. Now that you have the fundamentals. Let's see how you make your gem into a projectile."

Kurumi nodded and picked up one of the gems lying beside her, she closed her hands around it and reformed it into a small sphere.

"Wrong… All wrong," he said before pulling a bullet out of his coat pocket for her to inspect. "This is what it should look like. You shadow projectiles don't matter, but you want to make the gems as aerodynamic as you possibly can."

"I can just increase the muzzle velocity by putting more power into the rifle. Won't that make it overcome anything?"

"I can see why you praise your sister's intellect so much. When this is all over, you'd better pay more attention in school, particularly physics. Just do what I tell you. You don't need to understand why it'll work better, just that it will. Be sure you size it so that it'll fit snugly in the barrel as well… Actually wait… There's more to it than even that."

"Ara ara… For a man who plans so many steps ahead, you're sure full of after thoughts."

"Your musket is a smoothbore. So you need to create a bullet that'll stay stable in flight..." he said while taking out a small notepad and pen. He then started sketching. "What you need to do is create a bullet which will change shape on its own to remain stable in flight."

"Anything else?" she asked with a toothy grin. "I could give it some cute little kitty ears too if you want."

"Just make it so that it'll become like this after you fire it," he said while showing her his sketch.

Kurumi nodded and closed her fist around the gem once again, reshaping it from the small sphere it was to the bullet like object she interpreted based on his drawing.

Later, after Kurumi formed a projectile which was suitable to Kiritsugu, she once again lay down in the prone position and held her musket as he'd instructed her to.

"The target I set up for you is out there. Find it. Let me know when you do."

She scanned the area in front of her with her reinforced eye, using the Night vision technique she'd just learned as well. There was pain in her eyeball but she pushed that out of her mind to focus on finding her target.

"Found it. Mannequin on the roof of the building at two o'clock."

"Good. Can you tell me how far away it is?"

"Almost a kilometer… Roughly eight hundred meters."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's about the same length as the street in front of our house."

"Good. That's exactly right. You take something you know, and use that to judge the distance. Now. How about the wind. How do you judge the wind speed and direction in this environment?"

Kurumi examined everything between herself and the target carefully. "I don't know… Origami is an expert sniper, with a bow and a gun, I just played video games all the time… I'm sorry."

"It's alright. That's why we're here. Look at the first rooftop between us and the target. What do you see on top of it?"

"Air conditioning units, and… some cables going between the rooftop door and the corner of the roof."

"Good. Do you see the cables moving in the wind? Pay close attention to which way they're going."

Kurumi narrowed her eye on the cables. "They're swaying to their left. That way is… North East?"

"Correct. Now, the next building in front of that. What do you see?"

Kurumi moved her eye to stare at the next rooftop over. There were more airconditioning units, and a satellite dish. But nothing which was visibly moving that she could discern.

"There's no movement there."

"Look closer. It's subtle. Don't focus on anything specific. To detect movement keep a broad focus, and let your eye be drawn to whatever changes."

Kurumi gave a small nod and attempted to do as she was told. After a long moment she spotted it, "There's a loose bit of plastic wrapping on the dish. It's being pushed back towards me."

"Correct. Well done. So the wind around the first building is moving away from you, the wind on the second is coming towards you. What does that tell you?"

"There's a wind vortex between me and the target?"

"Correct. Now. What should you do? Wait it out and see if the wind changes, or reposition for a clear shot?"

"What's my situation? If there's a risk of losing the target while I'm repositioning, then it's worth trying something else to make the shot. But if my target will remain stationary, then repositioning would be the correct choice."

Kiritsugu slowly nodded, "Well thought out. You're really not as stupid as you seem to think you are. Let's go with the former. Let's see you try and overcome it to make the shot."

* * *

 **One week later**

 _I'm pretty sure that when they said children eventually have to take care of their parents, this was_ _ **not**_ _what they had in mind!_

Kiritsugu had gone over to the Fujimura house to speak with old man Raiga. Kurumi had begged and pleaded for him to bring her along, but he ultimately refused because he needed her to watch over Shirou when he got home from school.

Spending time with her six year old father instead of getting this chance to see Raiga Fujimura, the man who was effectively her great grandfather, in his prime, was insufferable! But Kurumi had to work on her acting skill... Everything Kiritsugu put her through seemed to have some kind of purpose to serve, and lesson for her to learn. It seems he's decided to teach her by chucking her into the proverbial deep end every chance he got.

"What were you thinking? How could you of all people get into a fight in school?" she asked while cleaning his cuts. "And why the hell didn't your school nurse see to your injuries?"

"It didn't happen in school… It happened on my way home… Ow! That hurts!" he complained as she administered some antiseptic to a cut on his face.

"Well certainly it hurts. You can't hurt others unless you're prepared to be hurt yourself. Whatever you dish out, you have to be able to take as well. Otherwise, you have no business getting into fights. A lesson I had to learn the hard way."

"I didn't start it… The other kids followed me away from school to bully me. What was I supposed to do?"

Kurumi sighed, "This feels familiar…"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing… You did the right thing to protect yourself. I hope you gave as good as you seem to have gotten," she said while applying a few plasters to his cuts.

 _This takes me back… I suppose I owe you for all the times you did this for me. Like after my first fight with Phantom. Yeah. This takes me back to that..._

* * *

 **Emiya House  
2027**

"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" yelled Kurumi as her father cleaned the cuts on her back for her.

"You sound just like your mother right now… Hold still and remember it's no less than you deserve! What the hell were you thinking getting involved in that fight?!" Shirou asked with no small amount of anger.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about these spirits?!" she barked back.

Shirou's response was to pour the antiseptic all over her back causing Kurumi to scream at an ear peircing level which in turn caused Kotori to cover her ears and bite down on her lollipop.

"Ahhhh! What the hell?!"

"You asked why! I showed you why!"

"Try using words, _old man_!"

Shirou's response was to give her another dose of the antiseptic bottle.

"Ahhh! Stop it! I'm in enough pain!"

"Because you would have wanted to get involved, and neither your mother, nor I, wanted you, and especially your sister anywhere near this!"

"Too late now! If I was forewarned I could have been forearmed!"

"You shouldn't have gotten involved at all! It wasn't your fight!"

"What the hell kind of logic is that?! Was I just suppose to watch Origami get killed?! If that had been Mom in there would you have just sat back and watched?!"

"Of course not! But that's different!"

Kotori spoke up calmly, with all of her childlike innocence and adorableness before Kurumi could muster up another doubtlessly furious response, "How is it different? She loves Origami as much as you loved mom… Kurumi is just as strong of a magus as you and mom. So, how is it different?"

"She's got you there old man," remarked a devilishly grinning Kurumi over her shoulder.

Shirou dabbed a little more of the antiseptic onto the last cut which instantly wiped the smirk off her face. "You're not nearly as strong as your sister thinks you are. Nor are you as strong as _you_ seem to think you are. Being able to create a shadow facsimile of my swords doesn't mean you can use them like I can. Your gandr shots don't have a fraction of the power of your mother's. And your swarm of familiars aren't nearly as formidable as they are intimidating. When you overestimate yourself, this is the result."

Kurumi groaned a little to herself as her father applied some cotton pads to the cuts. "Hold still now," Shirou directed as he started wrapping bandages around her to hold them in place.

"You don't know how many times your mother and Saber had to patch me up like this after I got my ass handed to me when I was your age. And god only knows how many times after that as well. Since you can't heal yourself like I can, I'd very much like this to be the first and last time I have to do it for you Kurumi. I'd also like it if Kotori would learn from your mistake and not repeat it herself."

"You didn't answer the question… Was I supposed to just watch Origami die? How could I have lived with that?"

"No. You did the right thing. I'm a hypocritical ass. In your place I did exactly the same. Every time. Your mother is probably laughing hysterically at me right now… Assuming she's not yelling her head off at you for being this much like me."

"She'd probably do both," answered a mournful Kurumi.

"You're probably right," he answered before patting her shoulders. "You can cover up now, I'm all done here. You're lucky this wasn't a lot worse, if you'd hit the ground a little harder you would have needed stitches."

"My body is just as hard as your head. It'll take more than this to put me down."

Shirou stood up and leaned down to place a soft kiss atop her head. "I'm proud of you. And I'm sorry I was a jerk just now."

"It's alright Daddy. You were just worried about me."

"Damn right I was. But, I really have no room to talk, I once fought a Heroic Spirit with just a rolled up poster. Still got my butt kicked, but, that's not the point. You're orders of magnitude more powerful now than I was then. But don't let that go to your head. Learn from this beating you got, and make yourself stronger. You're the heir to your mother's legacy. Never forget it."

"I won't," she answered with a proud smile.

"And don't screw around with Spirits! Warn Origami not to either."

"Daddy? Will you at least tell me what you know about them then? I don't think I can talk her out of whatever she's into without something at least as concrete as your head!"

"If it weren't for the fear of you making those wounds even worse I'd drag you to the dojo right now to find out just whose head is harder!"

"Anytime old man! Even like this I can go ten rounds with you and Aunt Tiger at the same time! I suck at Kendo but I'm still better than either of you!"

"I'm pretty sure you have yet to land a hit on me. That's your mother's arrogance if I've ever heard it. You'd be better off without that particular character flaw or hers!"

Kotori rolled her eyes as the two started bantering again. It was a side of them which only came out when they got going like this and it was infuriating to the young redhead when it did.

* * *

 **Emiya House  
1995**

"Has anyone ever told you that you look kind of scary?" the boy asked her curiously from where he was looking up at her as she chopped ingredients at the kitchen counter.

Kurumi raised an eyebrow and turned to look into her blind spot where he was standing with the kitchen knife slightly raised in her hand. The boy then stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

 _I can't exactly help looking scary. Especially to you. I have my mother's eye…_

"Oh relax. I just look scary, but I'm really not. I can't help only having one eye. I don't know why so many people find that intimidating," she said with a shrug of her shoulders before looking back to the vegetables she was chopping and resuming her work.

"What are you making?" he asked curiously, his fear of her instantly forgotten.

"Dinner," she answered matter of factly.

"Yeah. But what are you making for dinner?"

"I'm just going to fry some vegetables and noodles. Nothing fancy. Your father doesn't seem to know how to shop for much that I can work with."

"Yeah. He's a good dad, but he's not the best cook. Could you teach me? All the food you've been making since you moved in has been really good!"

Kurumi's eyebrow shot up again at that statement as she slowly turned her head to level a surprised glare on the small child which had his fear of her swelling up again.

"You snarked about his cooking before. But what do you mean, he's not the best cook?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend him, or you!"

"No! I'm seriously asking here. I'm doing all the cooking in this house because Kiritsugu Emiya can't cook?!"

Young Shirou shook his head.

Kurumi's lips curled in a small smirk, "Well I know for a fact you'll become one of the best cooks in the world."

"If I survive the old man's cooking…"

Kurumi had a hearty laugh at that remark.

"Alright then. Lemmie teach you something to get you started," she said while scooping him up into her arms and then setting him down on the kitchen counter so he could watch her work.

 _Wait a minute… I'm actually teaching my father how to cook?! Is this a time paradox? Was I born to one day come back in time to teach my father how to cook?! Are the secrets of the Emiya kitchen a time loop?!_

Kurumi violently shook her head.

 _That can't be. He'll learn again somewhere else because I'm going to erase his memories of me when I'm finished here… But it would be fascinating to find out where he did actually learn to cook._

She then started explaining every detail of everything she was doing to him as she did it until they finally sat down at the table to enjoy the meal she prepared.

* * *

Days later, Kurumi was sitting in the magic circle drawn in the shed, which would eventually become the workshop. Kiritsugu had a hand on her bare back as he assessed her magic circuits, after sometime he shook his head with a grim expression as Kurumi stood up and covered herself.

Kiritsugu then started coughing violently as he seated himself down on the steps leading to the second level of the shed. After a quick moment to ensure she was decently covered she ran up to him to pat his back.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"It'll pass…" he said after getting a few deep breaths.

"Pardon me if I don't take your word for it. With a cough like that, how can you still be a smoker?"

"That's… Not the reason for it."

"That's what they all say," she bitterly remarked while seating herself down beside him.

"In my case it happens to be true. Anyway. Even if I were willing to pass on the Emiya crest. I'm afraid you're not compatible with it either, so it's an entirely moot point. There's something about your magic circuits that simply won't accept being connected to anything not a part of them. But what that is exactly, I don't know. If your mother couldn't answer that question, there's no way I can."

Kurumi's entire being seemed to deflate at his statement, "Well… I guess that's that then. Shit out of luck. I'll need to figure another way of gaining the power I need. Par for the course as my father would say."

"Well… You might not actually be out of luck. You might not be able to do this the easy way. But there might be a way you could do it the hard way."

"What do you mean?" she asked with a hopeful eye on her grandfather.

"What do I mean?" he said while taking a seat on the stairs leading the the shed's second level where he started gathering his thoughts. "I have a theory. But… Let me just sound it out and we'll see if we can't work with it."

Kurumi nodded and stood in front of him to listen.

"When you reverse your time, it puts you back together as you were before you were injured. Correct?"

"Yes. It reverts me to a pristine state. My theory is that Zafkiel has this, sort of record of me as I was when I first joined with the crystal. When I reverse time, it puts me back to exactly how I was then. That's why it didn't give me a normal eye and instead put this in here…" she said while removing her eye patch to show him her yellow victorian clock faced eye. "I also have old scars on my body from before I became a spirit, but never gained any new ones. No matter how hard a certain brother and sister tried to turn me into a Picasso."

Kiritsugu nodded, "Yes. I saw the ones on your back. So that makes sense. But what do you think would happen if you forged a magic circuit into a crest and then reversed your own time?"

"It stands to reason that it would restore the magic circuit and destroy the crest."

Kiritsugu nodded, "What's to stop this ability of yours from destroying the Emiya Crest if you were to receive it?"

Kurumi's eye widened, "Nothing. How could I have been so stupid?! Even if it would have worked, the risk is too high!"

The man nodded again, "What we need to do is circumvent this. You told me you had the ability, through your angel, to make copies of yourself correct? Copies which you use as familiars."

She slowly nodded.

"What if... you forged a crest for yourself, made a copy of yourself, and then reversed your own time? Would the copy retain the forged crest?"

"I don't see why not. Even if its time reversed as well, then… It would remain because it was created that way!" she happily exclaimed with a snap of her finger. "I see. Yes yes! You're onto something here! After that, if I transplanted the crest, because they're made of my own circuits, and none of my other circuits would be missing or damaged, then it would theoretically be left alone! Assuming the crest doesn't get destroyed after I get rid of the clone."

"What we need to do, is teach you to recreate the mysteries. Then, figure out how to go about building the crest. Then. We need to find someone who's skilled enough to do the transplants from your copies to you. But be warned that such a procedure won't be enjoyable, to say the least. There's a reason this is usually done from a young age."

"Can it be done? Do you really think I can recreate your mysteries?"

"After everything we've worked on together, everything I've learned about you, I've found nothing to prohibit you from recreating the mysteries. I'll tell you everything I know, and how I've worked with the crest to make it useful to me, and I'll work with you to apply them."

"But if I could recreate the mysteries without the need for the Emiya crest. What would be the use of forging my own?"

Kiritsugu closed his eyes and nodded at her question, "Yes. I suppose you would have been taught that the point of having a crest is to give you access to abilities you otherwise wouldn't be able to employ. But. When you stop thinking of a magic crest as something used for the purpose of advancing the craft, and instead think of it as just another tool in your arsenal… What would the benefits be?"

"I see your point. I'd be able to enact the mysteries with greater speed. Use them instinctively without the need to prepare beforehand… And even effectively use certain abilities outside my elemental alignments. I can probably make other abilities stronger as well if I don't have to go through all the hoops to cast them."

"Good. Let's see if you can learn things as quickly as you can unlearn them. We'll also need to very carefully plan out this crest. The method we've devised will be like putting together a puzzle. We're going to need to very carefully figure out the mysteries you want to put into this crest to do what you need it to do, and in order to do that, we need to figure out what you're made of and how you apply your thaumaturgy to combat."

* * *

A few days later, Kurumi went out to do the shopping for the house. She decided that her grandfather would simply never be able to choose good ingredients, so just giving him a list wouldn't have helped anything.

Along the way home she came across a playground. She peered into it with a small happy smile. Memories of her childhood echoed in this place. So much in the city will change between now and her own time, but a few small and simple things like this seem to exist outside the bounds of time. It was so heartwarming to see it exactly as it was, and exactly as it would be.

But then something caught her eye, the playground was empty save for one little girl sitting on a swing. Kurumi's heart jumped into her throat. Her eye and mouth held open in shock. But then her expression washed away, to be replaced with one that matched the little girl's.

The girl had a downcast gaze. All she was at that moment was sadness. Her black hair cast an even darker shadow upon her face, a blackness that seemed to flow into both of their souls. The sorrow radiated from her which reflected into Kurumi's heart like a mirror. Every other emotion was blown away from her like a rampaging tornado, erasing everything positive from her very soul. Where there were memories of unconditional love, happy laughter, and comfort, there now remained nothing but an unfathomable loneliness.

There on the swing was a small girl who would one day grow into a woman who was honest, kind, caring, compassionate, occasionally hot tempered, but so full of the light of love that it radiated into the lives of the people she knew long after she was gone. The past, the present, the future, the light of her love was so bright that it shone upon it all.

"Mom," she finally muttered under her breath with a tear coming to her eye.

Without a single negative or otherwise obstructing thought in her mind regarding what she was about to do, Kurumi walked into the playground. No force of nature could have, or would even have dared try and hold her back as she approached the swings and seated herself on the one beside the six year old Rin Tohsaka.

"Hello," she said to her once and future mother.

"Hi…" she answered somberly.

She extended her hand to the little girl, "I'm Kurumi Tokisaki."

She carefully scrutinized the offered hand and then looked into Kurumi's eye for a long moment. "That's a pretty name…" remarked the little girl as she took her hand. "I'm Rin Tohsaka."

"Your name is also very pretty. Are you here all by yourself?"

Rin nodded to her future daughter.

 _You don't just come out and ask mom what's bugging her. Unless you want her to take it out on you. I sense nothing's different about her even now._

Kurumi nodded back and set down her grocery bags before standing up and walking around behind her future mother. There, she gave her a gentle push on the swing.

"What are you doing?! I could swing myself if I wanted to!"

"Certainly you could. You can do anything you want to do. But, where's the fun in playing all by yourself?"

"I didn't come here to play! I came here to think!" she barked as Kurumi gave her another push.

 _So cute! She grumbles, but if she really wanted me to stop, she could make me stop._

"Sometimes, overthinking things only makes the problem worse. So just forget about whatever it is and have a little fun!" said a brightly smiling Kurumi.

"I guess you're right…"

That response was all the encouragement Kurumi needed to give her the bigger push that sent her properly swinging. She felt her heart lift and soar with her mother on the swing when she heard her giggling excitedly.

After a while, the two sat on the bench, where Kurumi reached into her shopping bag and pulled out a small bag of cookies which she opened and offered to the little girl beside her.

"Thank you," she said with a cheerful smile as she took one out. Kurumi did the same and both simultaneously, symmetrically, and inelegantly tossed them into their mouths.

"You know. Your eye is really pretty. It's just like mine," remarked Rin.

Kurumi smiled proudly down on the little girl, "Thank you. Would it be self serving if I said your eyes are pretty too then?"

"No. Well. Maybe. But what's wrong with your other eye though? Did someone poke it out for randomly making conversation with them?"

 _Ouch. Blunt as ever mom…_

"When I was your age, I had cancer that destroyed my eye. So they had to take it out before it spread."

"That must have been scary."

"It was. But it wasn't all bad. My mom stayed by my side the whole time I was in the hospital. So I didn't feel as scared as I probably would have."

"I wish my mom could do something like that for me… But she can't do anything for me anymore. I have to do everything for her now."

"It may be a little early for you, it certainly is for me, but, all children eventually have to take care of our parents. It's natural. Just remember how much they did for you when you were helpless without them."

"I'm still helpless…"

Kurumi reached out and put a supportive hand on the little girl's shoulder, "Now that isn't true. Not at all. You're too strong and stubborn for that kind of thinking. There's nothing you can't do."

 _Except work a TV, cell phone, or play a video game with me… You're awesome at literally everything else though!_

Little Rin was on the verge of tears as she replied to Kurumi's statement, "I try to be strong. But… sometimes… it's just too much."

Kurumi slowly nodded and pulled the little girl into a gentle hug. "I understand. I have to be strong all the time for my family too. Sometimes I also just want to run away and cry. But I can't do that because even one moment of weakness from me can have unimaginable consequences. But at the same time, finding moments where you can be weak, and let out all the negative emotions you have bottled up inside is still important. Because unless you take the time to let the weakness out of you, you can't replace it with more strength,

"Imagine your a bottle, filled with sadness, weakness, and other negative things. If you want to be filled with strength and happiness and other positive things. First you'd have to empty out the negative, and then fill it up with the positive. Does that make sense?"

 _It should. You taught me this after all._

"It does make sense… Thank you," she said before letting her tears flow freely from her eyes.

"That's good. Just let out all that sadness to make room for the happiness," she said while gently petting the weeping girl's head.

"Why are you being so nice to me? What's in it for you?"

 _Because you're my mother, and I love you so much…_

"Because it's what my mother would have done if our situations were reversed. Even though she isn't with me anymore, I want her to always be proud of who I am."

"I'm sure she is..." answered Rin with a sniffle.

With a big bright smile, Kurumi pulled the little Rin into a tight embrace, "If you think she is, then I know she is."

The two sat in companionable silence for a long while before Kurumi realized the time, "It's getting late and I'm sure my grandfather and his son are probably going to be getting hungry soon, so I need to get home and cook. Before he poisons himself with his own bad cooking. Would you like me to walk you home?"

"There's no need. My house isn't far from here," she said while standing up. "But. Wouldn't your grandfather's son be your father?"

"I suppose that's one interpretation of my situation."

"You say weird things…"

Kurumi nodded and stood up as well. "Yes. I suppose I do. So are you sure you're alright walking home by yourself?"

"Yes. I'm sure. But thank you though."

"Alright. I'll probably never see you again after this. So before you go, I'd just like to say, thank you for everything."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. I hope I see you again Kurumi."

"You will. After today, I won't ever see you again. But, one day, you'll see me again. After that you'll be seeing a lot of me. I can promise you that."

"You say weird things…"

"It's part of my charm," answered Kurumi with a cheerful smile, eye closed, and head tilted to the side.

* * *

 **One week later**

Kiritsugu held a notebook and pen as Kurumi took him through the details of her magecraft. Beginning with her her most basic. In her hands were two unstable looking falchions made of shadows which emitted wisps of smoke like darkness from their form.

"When I mentioned I ripped off my father's favorite swords, this is what I was talking about. Kanshou and Bakuya. Noble Phantasms he favors above all others. Because of him my attribute affinity is reinforcement. But I can't apply it to these constructs because they lack any kind of substance, or even a concept. They're just nothing. Darkness. All I can do is make it darker. Giving it meaning beyond that is… beyond me."

Kiritsugu nodded as he jotted down a few notes. "Your friend Ciel was on the right track with developing your mystic codes. They take your shadows and give them a simple concept of hardness with which to do damage."

"Exactly."

"You see. This is where your magecraft is weak, and where you need to broaden your horizons. Improvise new solutions. I can't help you research and develop new applications for darkness, but, I can teach you to think outside the box and consider solutions you may not have considered before."

"The only real Emiya family Magecraft now is Reinforcement. The study of how to make things better at what they do. We do this to literally everything in the house. Our cloths, appliances, Dad even wanted me to do it to my glass eye to make it better somehow, but I refused. I hated that damn thing with a burning passion! Anyway. My sister and I are both very, very good at it. Kotori couldn't command fire for the longest time, but she picked up on reinforcement and ran with it. When she finally figured out how to use her fire abilities, she could reinforce the flames to the point that she was hurling plasma. It was incredible!"

"You're always so proud of her, no matter what. Even when you're talking about her ability to vaporize things."

Kurumi grinned brightly at her grandfather, "I'm always proud of Kotori. No matter what. I love her above all else. Always!"

"Admirable. So. What can you do with reinforcement to your own magecraft?"

"Nothing. You can't make nothing better at something!"

"You can if you first make something."

Kurumi rolled her eye, "My father makes things. All I can do is wield the shadows of things."

"Are those swords solid at all?"

"No. They do their damage by cutting at the shadows of whatever I'm attacking. It's a very roundabout way of doing harm, but it's all I had before my mystic codes. That and my jewels. But. Money for jewels was always an issue, so, I had to be very conservative with them. It's the Tohsaka curse. We're all doomed to be broke because of our magecraft."

"Doesn't the Tohsaka family have patents with the Clock Tower? You don't get your mother's royalties from them?"

"I should… But there was a dispute over who, if anyone, should get the money now. Mage politics at their finest…"

"I see. Anyway. Your mystic codes can impose the concept of hardness onto your projectiles. Correct?"

"Yes. That's correct. What are you getting at?"

"Have you ever considered trying to figure out how to attach concepts to your constructs? Your mystic code does it. Why can't you?"

Kurumi raised her voice as she angrily blurted out her response, "Because I don't have any-" she started before stopping herself.

Kiritsugu's lips curled into a small smirk. Which he found odd because smirking was never one of his expressions. But Kurumi's signature smirks and grins were infectious.

"Hardness. Is not so difficult to apply. It just takes a lot of magical energy to do. It's an Earth alignment ability, so I can't do it myself with any precision. That's why the mystic code does that part for me and doesn't drain my Od to actualize the mystery. But… if precision wasn't a factor in what I was trying to do..."

"So if you were to apply that to your shadows? What could you do with it? And please think bigger than just giving your swords a proper cutting edge."

Kurumi considered it for a long moment. "Wizards can fly. So can Kotori and most other spirits. But… I can't do that because shadows have no density, and no hardness. But. If I gave a shadow hardness…"

She then created a disc of shadow in front of her with a wave of her hand. With no small exertion of effort she managed to solidify it. "Shadows aren't bound by gravity…" she said while stepping on the disc she created. "Katrina Leskanich walked on sunshine, but Kurumi Emiya walks on darkness! I'm walking on darkness, ooh ohh! I'm walking on darkness, ooh ooh! And don't it feel good?"

Kiritsugu rubbed the side of his head as he approached her. "Promise me you'll never try making a career as a singer… You can't carry a tune to save your life. But how are you doing this?" he asked while inspecting the platform of shadow she stood upon.

"Well. We all cast shadows. I just have the ability to employ my own shadow in my magecraft. What I do is become my shadow. That's how I manipulate the darkness. After that, I just used the density of the ground under the shadow to make it act as if it were on solid ground."

"This is an incredible power you have… Why haven't you figured out these applications for your power before?"

"Sofu-sama? What are you thinking?"

"It's like cement isn't it? The shadow is like the powder, and hardening is just adding water and waiting for it to set."

"I suppose that's another way of looking at it," she said a finger to the side of her lips as she considered his words. "So what are you thinking?"

"Shadow bullets. Now shadow steps. You say you can't make things. But I don't see what prevents you from building things."

"Aren't they the same things?"

"It's all in how you look at it. So what else can you build?"

"I was already able to create solid bubbles with my shadow to protect myself. My mystic codes took that and made it into an offensive ability. This isn't much different. Takes a lot of magical energy to do, but if I draw on Zafkiel, I could build the stairway to heaven."

"Don't start singing. I love that song. Don't ruin it for me."

Kurumi's response was a mirthful laugh.

* * *

 **Five months later**

Kiritsugu rushed at Kurumi in the Kendo dojo with his bamboo sword. The two traded blows for a few moments before he increased the aggression in his attacks. Kurumi held her ground for a short while before he forced her into a vulnerable position, a situation which he knew there was only one way to escape from.

"Time alter, double accel!"

The next thing he knew she was behind him on a shadowy platform which use used to counter his height advantage, and had her bamboo sword at his throat.

"That was perfect Kurumi. Absolutely perfect. I'm always impressed by how quickly you develop good instincts for these things."

"I have a good teacher," she said with a happy smile as she released him from her grasp.

"Being a spirit seems to really allow you to get full use of the Time Alter ability. The resilience of your body is remarkable. But always remember never to push it too far. Just because you're not feeling the effects of the double acceleration doesn't mean there aren't any. I don't particularly want to see how you'd stand up to a triple or square acceleration so don't go there. I never had to push any farther than a double except in one extraordinary situation. Anyway... You're also getting a lot stronger at Kendo. You lasted against me much longer this time. Those origins certainly make you a fast learner."

"Thanks, but, it's not so much that I'm a fast learner, it's more that I refuse to give up until I've mastered something I've set my mind to. Kendo still isn't my thing. Aunt Tiger used to try and encourage me to practice, especially since she can't steamroll my father anymore. But it's just not my thing. I mean, yes, it helps develop good fighting instincts, but, I still prefer to stick with Kyudo."

"Why is that exactly? What draws you to Kyudo?"

Kurumi smiled wistfully as her eye turned towards the roof. "In Kendo. You have an opponent. Someone to overcome. But you don't have that in Kyudo. You only have yourself to overcome. And I've always been my own worst enemy. Heh. Speaking of Kyudo. Do you mind if we call it a day? I feel the need to practice a bit. I haven't touched a bow in so long and I really feel the need to now."

"I was actually going to ask for the same. I have some business to take care of. But I was hoping I could ask you to watch over Shirou until I get back."

"Wasn't Taiga suppose to be coming over?"

Kiritsugu leveled a stare at her, as if asking 'are you serious?' without saying the words.

"Oh right. It's Taiga… Well, I suppose I could bring him to the dojo with me. He grows up to be quite the _Archer_ anyway. No harm can be done… Oh wait… No. A lot of harm can be done."

"What do you mean?" he asked with with a hard glare.

"The dojo in New City, is where my girlfriend and I train with this group of masters every saturday. They know us very well."

"Yes. But they won't know you in this time. What's your point?"

"Yes. In this time. But when I walk in there for the first time in twenty twenty six without having aged a day and someone remembers me? I mean, look at me, I'm a little hard to forget."

"Is that because you're arrogant enough to think you're that beautiful, or because you think you look freakish enough to be that memorable?"

"Can't it be both?"

"Well. You are that beautiful, and your features are that memorable. So I suppose you have a point."

"Thank you?"

"It wasn't just a compliment Kurumi. Why don't we set you up a target stand in the courtyard and buy you a bow and some arrows?"

Kurumi raised her eyebrow for a moment and then widened her eye.

"Was it that good of an idea? We've had many strokes of brilliance between us these past months, but I don't think this makes the top five where that expression belongs."

"I just realized this could be why Aunt Tiger ended up as the advisor to the Archery Club, and why my dad got interested in Kyudo…"

"If you're worried about all the paradoxes you could be creating, then take that lesson to heart and be more mindful of everything you do."

"Point taken."

* * *

Kurumi was dressed in the traditional outfit for the practice of Kyudo as she stood on the veranda with her bow drawn. It was well into the winter now, but the cold didn't bother her as much as it probably would have before she became a spirit.

Her audience for this practice session consisted of a seventeen year old Taiga Fujimura who was only a year older than Kurumi at this point, and the six year old Shirou Emiya, both warmly dressed for the winter cold. They watched with wide eyed wonder as she launched her arrow across the yard to hit the small target dead centre and followed the movements into her relaxed position.

Taiga Fujimura started clapping which made the raven-haired girl internally cringe as she slowly turned to her future Aunt. "Ara ara… You shouldn't applaud like that. It's bad etiquette in Kyudo."

"Sorry, it's just so impressive. You have no depth perception but you managed to hit that tiny target which is even further away from you than it would be at an archery range."

"Not that much farther away… I could even hit it blindfolded if I wanted to."

"Oh really? Alright! Do it!" exclaimed Taiga while standing up. She took off her scarf and went up behind her to wrap it around her head as a blindfold.

Kurumi then loaded and fired her next arrow and hit the target.

"Wow! You're amazing Tokisaki-sama!" cheered Shirou.

Taiga whistled an impressed tune, "My school has an archery club. If you started attending I bet all the boys would be all over you. A girl who can shoot an arrow like that, cupid himself would be envious of you!"

Kurumi turned her eye upon Taiga after removing the scarf and handing it back to her. Then with a small toothy grin on her lips addressed her statement, "The boys don't stand a chance. It's the girls who'd have to worry."

Taiga widened her eyes at her remark and suddenly seemed to be very self conscious of her school skirt and appearance. "You, you mean you're… a dyke?!"

"Unless you feel like standing out there with an apple on your head, I'll thank you not to ever use that word again. You also need to calm down. I'm not going to start flirting with you just because you're a girl anymore than you'd flirt with every boy you meet just because he's a boy. You're not my type."

 _I know you too well for that!_

"Why? Am I not pretty?!" barked the angry Tiger.

"It's not that. You are. But I have a girlfriend."

"Don't you get made fun of a lot for that?"

"Look into my eye… Do I look like someone people have the guts to bully?"

Taiga shifted uncomfortably, "No. Not really. You look like the sort of person who'd kill their dog for trying."

"Ara ara! Why would I do that? It's not the poor dog's fault that their master is a bigot. If they just keep it at words, I'll be merciful and just put shards of glass and salt in their shoes, then make them run a marathon."

Taiga looked away and giggled uncomfortably at the mental image of that.

"If they resort to something more than words… Oh… How irresponsible of me! I can't believe I forgot to let those people out of the basement before I came here! Oh well… Can't be helped now. I'll just burn some incense to cover the smell."

Taiga and Shirou both gawked at her with wide eyes. Both seemingly trying to decide how serious she was. Both then seemed to conclude, based on the inscrutable look on her face that the less they knew, the better off they'd be.

After Kurumi burst into laughter both sighed with relief.

"So you don't ever feel ashamed of being different?"

"In a room full of people with black hair, would you ever feel ashamed of having brown hair? This isn't any different than that," Kurumi said with a wink before going through the process of firing another arrow.

Shirou looked up at her with wonder. "You look really cool when you're shooting your bow Tokisaki-sama. Could you teach me how?"

"Me too!" added Taiga.

"I could probably give Fujimura a lesson, but you're still a bit too small for this Shirou."

"Where did you learn to shoot like you do anyway?" asked Taiga as she stood up beside Kurumi who handed her the bow.

"My father taught me… He used to remark that he'd created a monster because after that my Aunt kept telling him that I was even better at it than he ever was, she thought it would annoy him. He let her think that. There were worse ways she tried to get under his skin. In reality it only made him prouder of me every time she said it."

* * *

"It's time to put you to the test. I've been laying the groundwork for this for a while now, and everything's ready for us," Kiritsugu said as he pulled the blankets off his bed. "Happy birthday by the way."

Kurumi widened her eye at everything she was looking at. "Ara ara! You're the best granddaddy a girl could wish for!" she exclaimed while running up to hug him tightly. "You actually remembered my birthday!"

The Magus Killer rolled his eyes at her immature act, but nonetheless hugged her back. By now he'd gotten to know her well enough to know that it was only an act. He knew he could depend on her for the serious business at hand.

"These are all for you. They'll help get you started. The rifle was mine, and the rest was all I could discreetly scourge together. I've put together a list of places you can go to acquire more if you need them. There's no reason they shouldn't still be doing business in your time."

She looked over the items being presented to her. There were two bricks of C4, a few grenades, a combat knife, and a compact sniper rifle. But what truly caught her eye were two bayonets which she picked up to inspect before looking up at her grandfather for an explanation.

"I commissioned them for you from a very skilled craftsman. They'll fit your musket and pistol, and they'll stand up to any close quarters combat."

The raven-haired girl nodded and then picked up the Walther WA2000. "What about this? Isn't it a little redundant to add this to my arsenal? I can snipe anything with my musket."

Kiritsugu's lips curled into a small smirk, "Try structural analysis on it."

Kurumi closed her eyes and flooded her magic circuits. She then nodded at the weapon with an impressed look on her face. "I see… You really do think ahead. It's just like my other ones so I can definitely work with this. In fact, I think I have an idea for something I can actually do with this that I can't with my musket. So what's the job?"

"A group of mages, including a sealing designee are gathering in northern China, near the Mongolian border. The Association wants them all eliminated. Some old contacts of mine were given the job, but when I mentioned I was training a successor, they agreed to give you a shot at it. They'll take the credit for getting it done, and nobody who matters will ever know you and I were involved in this."

"So I'm your successor now?" she gleefully quizzed.

"I suppose you are, I've taught you everything I know… So are you up for the job?"

"What do we know about them?"

"Plenty. I'll go over everything with you if you're in."

"Isn't this technically like coming out of retirement for you?"

"Once you hear the details of this job, you'll understand."

"Alright. Tell me."

"First, tell me if you're in or not. If you're in, we go all the way with this. No turning back. No half-assing it. No mistakes. So are you in?"

Kurumi looked him dead in the eye and issued her answer calmly, and clearly. "Yes. I'm in."

* * *

 **Emiya House  
2027**

Kurumi sat on the edge of the bed and looked down on her sleeping sister. The alarm on her bedside went off and Kurumi quickly reached out to shut it off. But the damage was done, and the moment was ruined.

Kotori's eyes fluttered open as she woke. "Huh? Who're you?"

"Very funny Kotori-chan. I know I'm awake before you for once in our lives, but that's a little harsh."

She looked down on her little sister and noticed a genuinely fearful expression on her face. Her cherry red eyes watered and shook with abject terror. Kurumi's heart was in her throat as she mustered up her words. "Kotori-chan? Don't you recognize me? It's Kurumi. Your big sister?"

Kotori looked away to her left, and then to her right and then sat up while her eyes drifted back onto the raven-haired girl, locking in on her one blue eye. "Onee-sama?"

"Yes. That's right… I'm your Onee-sama."

"What time is it? I guess I didn't get a good night's sleep if I couldn't even remember you now."

Kurumi reached out and snatched her into a tight hug. "It's alright Kotori-chan."

"Uhh… It's not that I don't like hugs or anything... But what's with you all of a sudden?

"A lot Kotori… I'm just so happy to see you safe."

Kotori wrapped her arms around her big sister tightly. "Onee-sama? Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

"I love you so much and I'm so happy to be able to hold you. No matter what happens, I'll never let anything take you away from me."

"Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"No Kotori. I had a _Nightmare_. I've had the same one six times now. And I'm afraid to death that because I made a questionable decision that number seven is about to start. I had a chance to stop it all from ever happening. But the cost was more than I was willing to pay."

"That must have been some nightmare… What was the cost?"

"Save the world, or save you. I chose you. I would choose you every time. Fuck the world. Let it burn. As long as you're safe, nothing else matters to me."

"It's alright Onee-sama. I'll wake you up from your nightmares from now on. Because I'm awesome like that!"

"Yes… You are. You give me the courage to face all my fears. I treasure you above anything else. And I'll see the whole world burn a thousand times over, but I will never let anything keep you away from me."

"I have no idea what's gotten into you today, but I love you."

"I love you too."


End file.
